Hollywood: extolled as the cultural centre of the universe, the Jerusalem of movie-making, and the place where your dreams come true. For decades, all manner of talent has irresistibly drifted towards Tinsel Town in the hope of making it big. But the reality is that Hollywood is no fairy tale, that producers are not fairy godmothers, and the whole delicate instrument is greased by vast, vast supplies of cash. The very same industry that turns nobodies into celebrities is also selfish, greedy and cynical, driving many to addiction or breakdown. This is common knowledge, accepted as an occupational hazard that comes with the territory. But is La La Land harbouring an even darker secret, one that's been rumoured for years but dismissed as simple paranoia? Is there a secret cabal of predatory paedophiles preying on innocent children in Hollywood?
With the #metoo movement dominating the headlines, Hollywood's misogynistic attitudes, and the coercive, sexually abusive tactics of men like
Harvey Weinstein are now out in the open. Women working in the industry are now coming forward, detailing extraordinary accounts of rape and persecution at the hands of the powerful and corrupt. Furthermore, their collective testimonies seem to point towards an alarming lack of accountability, and even complicity on the part of major studios. The fury, outrage and indignation felt by these women, and expressed so eloquently by feminist activists and commentators, is completely justified. But it may be overshadowing another worrying problem, one that a certain famous child actor has been warning us about for some time.
Corey Feldman is surely one of the most popular and beloved child actors of the 80s, and as a kid starred in more classic movies than most actors manage in their entire careers, such as Stand By Me, Lost Boys, The Goonies and Gremlins. As an adult, he became infamous for two things: his public struggle with drugs, and his iron-clad belief that children in Hollywood were being sexually abused on a massive scale. In an August 2011 interview, Feldman stated: "The number one problem in Hollywood was, is and always will be paedophilia. That’s the biggest problem for children in this industry … It’s the big secret," and claimed that he and his best friend and fellow child actor Corey Haim had been molested in the 1980s. Actor Elijah Wood later corroborated Feldman's claims.
Feldman's statement presents us with the possibility of a truly monstrous conspiracy, one which would eradicate any credibility Hollywood has left. But had Feldman been an adult actress, an A-lister who came forward to blow the whistle, the media would have seized upon the accusations. Post-Weinstein, we are more paranoid than ever about rape and sexism. Yet the majority of people seem content to dismiss Feldman, treating him akin to someone raving about UFOs. Feldman is currently crowdsourcing for a movie project, which he claims will "bring down a paedophile ring that I’ve been aware of since I was a child … Right off the bat I can name six names—one of them who is still very powerful today, and a story that links all the way up to a studio. It connects paedophilia to one of the major studios ... Once it’s done, I believe we can revolutionise the film industry in such a way that we can root out the evil and make it safe for our kids again."
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Certainly, the abuse of women and children are not mutually exclusive; actresses such as
Reese Witherspoon,
Jennifer Lawrence and Molly Ringwald have spoken about sexual exploitation as teenagers. Witherspoon claimed that a director sexually assaulted her when she was 16, while Ringwald wrote that a 50-year-old crew member pushed up against her with an erection when she was 13 and that a director "stuck his tongue in my mouth on set" when she was 14. Both of these statements seem to back up Feldman's claims. So where is the witch hunt? Where is the public enquiry? And above all the question remains: who are the perpetrators?
Do a little bit of digging, and you'll find that paedophilia in Hollywood isn't anecdotal or speculative. Take the case of child manager Bob Villard, who represented
Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire during their formative years. In 1987, Villard was charged with possession of child pornography but walked free, and continued to work with children for another 14 years. It wasn't until 2001 that Villard was found guilty of possession of indecent images of minors, and in 2005 he was charged with the sexually assault of a 13-year-old he had courted as a client. Villard is now in prison, but who knows how many others suffered at his hands and now remain silent?
Another case is that of Recall Digital Entertainment Network founder and producer Marc Collins-Rector, who allegedly held a number of lavish parties at his Hollywood mansion; it later transpired that he invited and molested a number of underage boys. Actor Michael Egan claimed that Collins-Rector pinned him down and raped him with a gun to his head, and also implicated Usual Suspects and X-Men director Bryan Singer of similar crimes. In August 2000 a New Jersey federal grand jury indicted him on criminal charges of attempted rape and possession of child pornography. He subsequently fled the US and is currently living in Europe under an assumed name.
Look at the case of director Victor Salva, who directed the cult horror film Jeepers Creepers in 2001. As far back as 1988, Salva was convicted of sexual misconduct with a 12-year-old star, including videotaping one of the encounters and possession of child pornography. Salva pleaded guilty to lewd and lascivious conduct and oral sex with a minor, and procuring a child for pornography. He served 15 months of a three-year jail sentence. Salva is a relatively obscure filmmaker, and few of his movies have been met with widespread critical acclaim. It's easy to condemn him: but are his crimes really so different to those of Roman Polanski, who fled the US after being accused of raping 13-year-old Samantha Gailey in Jack Nicholson's home in 1977? Despite the fact that he was found guilty on five counts, despite the case being public knowledge, Polanski's conviction has not harmed his career one jot. Is it any wonder then that more convert predators are able to thrive in this climate, where reputation and connections mean more than justice or ethics?
Indeed, many of these sex offenders have pursued careers which specifically give them direct access to young children, and use the special relationship that casting and mentorship provides to groom and abuse them in secret. Martin Weiss worked as a manager and talent scout for Nickelodeon and Disney, and used his position to molest 11-year-old Evan Henzi more than 30 times over several years. Weiss severed a year in jail after Henzi finally pressed charges, but was released as soon as he was convicted.
Casting director James Murphy abducted a young schoolboy in 1996, after luring him away from his parents. The man and child flew to an NYC hotel room, and Murphy was only stopped when staff recognised him from America’s Most Wanted. After a mere five years in jail, Murphy was out again and cast for kids movies such as Super 8 and School of Rock until his criminal record finally caught up with him. Actor Brian Peck, who served 16 months of a prison sentence after being charged with eight counts of sexual abuse, is now still working as a dialogue coach for Nickelodeon and has even starred in Charlie Sheen's sitcom Anger Management.
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All these cases seem to confirm suspicions, even if they don't give us any understanding of the true scale of the abuse. Indeed, when it comes to the subject of kids and Hollywood, everything seems private, rendered in inference and hearsay. It's a world where, even for adults, silence can be bought.
It's clear that we need a broad change of attitudes in the entertainment industry and, to some extent, we may be on the way towards ridding ourselves of the odious term "casting couch". But it would be a shame if we were simply to safeguard one demographic at the expense of our own youth. Even now I can't help but think of the casts of It and Stranger Things, and wonder how vulnerable those kids are to this kind of mistreatment. Indeed, actor Finn Wolfhard was forced to respond to a sexually suggestive Instagram post made by 27-year-old Ali Mitchell which provoked controversy on social media. When interviewed about his feelings on the matter, Wolfhard stated: "Oh that was nuts. That was gross. That's good that she apologised, it's weird but ... it's fine." I agree with the first part of his response, but I think it's far from fine, and always will be.
