The cable channel has agreed to rectify the document signed by background actors that initially required them to perform graphic sexual acts.
- Oct 1, 2015
AceShowbiz - HBO has responded to a controversy regarding racy "Westworld" casting notice. SAG-AFTRA previously expressed concerns about the health and safety of extras after it was alerted about the contract that required background actors to perform graphic sexual acts.
The consent agreement distributed among extras by Central Casting read, "This document serves to inform you that this project will require you to be fully nude and/or witness others fully nude and participate in graphic sexual situations."
It asked extras to agree to "appear fully nude; wear a pubic hair patch; perform genital-to-genital touching; have your genitals painted; simulate oral sex with hand-to-genital touching; contort to form a table-like shape while being fully nude; pose on all fours while others who are fully nude ride on your back; ride on someone's back while you are both fully nude; and other assorted acts the Project may require."
SAG-AFTRA issued a member alert that "to the extent [the form] conflicts with the SAG-AFTRA Television Agreement, it is unenforceable." The guild even sent a representative to the show's set on Wednesday, September 30 for any members who had questions.
HBO later responded to the controversy, blaming the background casting agency for the waiver. "The document that the background actors were given was created by an outside extras casting vendor," the network said in a statement. "It was not requested, written or approved by HBO, Warner Bros. Television, or the producers, and contains situations that we do not require of any actor."
After initially refusing "to make any changes" to the content of the planned scenes, the network stated, "We are rectifying immediately the discrepancies in this vendor's document with our actual on-set practices, which provide a professional and comfortable working environment for all performers."
SAG-AFTRA issued another statement after HBO agreed to rectify the document, "SAG-AFTRA sent the consent form to HBO yesterday afternoon and requested that the document be changed to more accurately reflect the contractual provisions. HBO had every opportunity to rectify this situation and it was only after their direct refusal to remedy this that we posted the notice on our website. The union is very pleased to hear that HBO is doing the right thing now but it is disappointing that we had to take such public measures to ensure compliance with our contracts and protect our background actors."
"Westworld" starring Anthony Hopkins, Evan Rachel Wood and James Marsden is a TV adaptation of Michael Crichton's 1973 sci-fi western-thriller film. The TV series is described as a dark odyssey about the dawn of artificial consciousness and the future of sin.
