Karen Olivo refuses to return to the Tony-nominated musical when Broadway re-opens as she urges the industry to take a stand against the Hollywood producer following abuse claims.
- Apr 15, 2021
AceShowbiz - Tony-nominated "Moulin Rouge!" star Karen Olivo has announced she won't be returning to the hit musical when Broadway theatres re-open as a protest over workplace harassment.
She is making a stand against the industry silence over the abuse claims against film and theatre producer Scott Rudin.
"Social justice is more important than being the sparkling diamond," she said in an Instagram video. "Building a better industry for my students is more important than me putting money in my pockets."
"For all of ya'll who don't hear me, the silence about Scott Rudin - unacceptable (sic). Unacceptable. That's the easy one, ya'll (sic). That's a monster. That should be a no-brainer... What is your integrity saying you should do? You going to protect your pocket book and let people go to the emergency room, so you can go to your next concert?"
Last week (ends09Apr21), an expose in The Hollywood Reporter detailed allegations of Rudin's volatile and sometimes violent behaviour. Four employees told the outlet Rudin created a toxic workplace environment, in which he repeatedly berated and verbally abused assistants.
On top of that, top Hollywood producer and four-time Oscar nominee Megan Ellison, who worked with Rudin on the Coen Brothers' 2010 Oscar nominated western "True Grit", added her own scathing comments regarding her former colleague as she shared the damning article about him on her Twitter page.
"This piece barely scratches the surface of Scott Rudin's abusive, racist, and sexist behavior", she wrote. "Similarly to Harvey (Weinstein), too many are afraid to speak out. I support and applaud those who did. There's good reason to be afraid because he's vindictive and has no qualms about lying."
