To the surprise of no one, it sounds like Vincent Gallo is still a creep. Or he’s still interested in the most extreme forms of method acting possible—or some combo of the two. It’s up for the reader to judge here, as IndieWire reports (via Rolling Stone) that three actresses have gone to the Screen Actors Guild to file formal complaints against Gallo for creating a hostile work environment during auditions for the upcoming film “The Policeman.” It sounds, as per usual, that the actor took things too far.
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The three actresses assert that Gallo crossed the line during their audition process, making inappropriate advances and demanding improvised, unsimulated sex scenes. One actress even describes Gallo as acting out “torture porn fantasies.” Does that sound like the infamous unsimulated sex scene that ends the actor-director’s 2003 film “The Brown Bunny“? Indeed it does, and it doesn’t help that similar allegations arose from the set of “Buffalo ’66,” Gallo’s 1998 debut. But let’s put the actresse’s claims in context here. “The Policeman” is about serial killer and rapist Joseph DeAngelo, aka: The Golden State Killer, and Gallo plays DeAngelo in the film. So Gallo’s behavior may be him really getting into his part, even if it makes his potential female co-stars uncomfortable. But there’s a line between uncomfortable and tasteless, and Gallo may have crossed it.
According to the formal complaints, Gallo insisted abuse scenes during shooting be “fully improvised” so the actresses had authentic reactions onscreen. One complaint alleged that Gallo told an actress, “If I say to suck my dick or I will kill you, I want you, you the person, not you the character, not you the actor, but you, to truly believe you will die if you don’t do as I say. And just like you would in real life, if this were happening to you, I want you to do all of the actions necessary to do that. You won’t actually suck my dick, but you do not have the power, I have all the power. You have no control, I am in complete control.”
Another complaint tells a similar story. Apparently Gallo told another actress, “I may ask you to suck my cock onscreen, and I want an actress who is not going to put up a fight about that. You’re going to be offended by what I ask you, but I don’t want any of your personal feminist values. You don’t want to do this, you don’t think it’s fair, but you know what? The victim didn’t have a choice, and neither will you as the actress…Of course we can’t actually have you give me head onscreen, but the point is that I want someone who will not stop production to call their agent, or complain, etc. because they are offended.”
Gallo clearly had specific plans when approaching his role as DeAngelo, but his potential co-stars didn’t appreciate it. Another formal complaint to SAG described the actor as acting out his “torture porn fantasies” and claimed the actual script for “The Policeman” would “bear very little resemblance to what was going to be filmed.” What’s more, Gallo also required that actresses auditioning needed to be willing to have their “minds and bodies be 100 percent dominated” by him at all times. That included Gallo doing various actions, like hair pulling, being hog-tied with shoelaces, and the simulation of physical assault, rape, and murder without an intimacy coordinator present. But Gallo also told auditioning actresses that there would be no “actual penetration, swapping of fluids or fellatio” during filming.
In a post-#MeToo era where intimacy coordinators are a necessity on movie sets, the allegations against Gallo are quite incriminating. And they certainly fit a pattern of behavior for the actor, who’s known for being both domineering and sexually explicit on his film sets. But a couple of facts destabilize the apparent narrative here of Gallo being an abusive, misogynist creep. First off, he’s playing someone who actually did rape, abuse, and murder women, and the extremity of DeAngelo’s crimes is unfortunately part of Gallo’s creative process for “The Policeman.” And “The Policeman” isn’t even Gallo’s film. He’s just an actor in it, with Jordan Gertner writing and directing. Gertner and Gallo have history, as Gertner co-produced “Buffalo ’66,” so that may give Gallo a little more creative freedom. But the actor doesn’t have full creative control here, as he did on the misguided “The Bad Bunny.”
Still, these allegations against Gallo is horrible press for an upcoming film. Not to mention the fact that “The Policeman” also stars James Franco, another actor-director previously accused of sexual misconduct with actresses. Auditions for the film took place in November 2023, with Gerner shooting the film the next month in and around Portland, Oregon. “The Policeman” is currently in post-production.
Has there been any fallout due to the three complaints to SAG against Gallo? A SAG spokesperson told IndieWire, “We are aware of these complaints and are investigating. We extensively engaged with production regarding the complaints, and while shooting has wrapped, we continue to monitor and investigate. We also reaffirm our commitment to ensuring a safe and respectful environment on set. Because our inquiry is ongoing, we cannot respond to specifics of the complaint.” Additionally, someone from Pacific Media Productions shared an email that “The Policeman” intimacy coordinator sent to SAG during filming, confirming that “all scenes were executed within the boundaries of each actor’s consent” during production.
But apparently “changes were subsequently made” to production after the actresses filed complaints with SAG. A SAG representative was brought on set of “The Policeman” afterward, with the movie’s casting studio, Cast Iron Studios, also providing a statement. “The casting team fought hard behind the scenes for the performers, and the results of these efforts can be attested to by the positive reports from set. We thank the actresses for their courage to come forward, and express our deepest apologies for their experience, which was indeed a first for us, too.”
As for Gertner, someone issued a statement on his behalf: We do take allegations of inappropriate comments made by anyone involved in the production very seriously. A SAG-AFTRA intimacy coordinator was hired for the production and the production of the picture was carried out in a safe, protective, and respectful environment. The producers, director, cast, and crew are proud of the movie we have made.” And Gertner did tell actresses during callback meeting that an intimacy coordinator would be on the film’s set. “The casting director told the actors prior to their callback meetings and auditions that a SAG-AFTRA intimacy coordinator was being hired for the picture and she would be involved with all scenes in which any nudity or sexuality was to occur,” continued he representative’s statement. “The coordinator that was hired worked closely with the director, Vincent, and other cast, and the cast involved felt that the environment was positive and respectful.”
If an intimacy coordinator and SAG representative were on the set of “The Policeman” during filming, then good for Gertner. But it still sounds like Gallo crossed several boundaries during the film’s audition process. Again, it’s no surprise to hear that Gallo is up to his usual antics, but given the film’s subject matter the actor is operating in nebulous territory. Did Vincent Gallo go too far, and should he be held accountable for doing so? It’s a complicated situation ripe for debate. Stay tuned for news about when “The Policeman” reaches audiences.
