What's really happening in Hollywood after #MeToo? - Action News
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Entertainment

What's really happening in Hollywood after #MeToo?

A code of conduct, a hotline, and ongoing discussions about sexual harassment following #MeToo are leaving some actresses in Hollywood hopeful that change is starting to happen at ground level.

Code of conduct, hotline and workshops on sexual harassment could help create safer environment on set

In the aftermath of #MeToo, a code of conduct, a hotline and ongoing conversations about sexual harassment are starting to have a small but effective impact on the treatment of actors on set. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images)

A code of conduct, a hotline and ongoing discussions in Hollywood about sexual harassment are translating into small but significant changes, not just on set, but also for young peoplestarting their careers.

Canadian teenSaara Chaudry, who voicedthe lead character in the Oscar-nominated animated feature The Breadwinner,saidshe's caught glimpses of the industry's dark side even at the age of 13. Empowerment, she said, comes from knowing change is happening and, in the meantime, from her mom.

"She always, always talked to me about these types of issues and made me understand what I could possibly face and how to deal with situations," Chaudry, 13, told CBCNews in Los Angeles.

Canadian Saara Chaudry, right, poses with Angelina Jolie, second from left, and Jolie's children Shiloh Jolie-Pitt, left, and Zahara Jolie-Pitt, second from right, at the L.A. premiere of The Breadwinner in October. Chaudry voiced the main character for the Oscar-nominated animated feature, which was produced by Jolie. (Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)

It's a conversation that wasn't always so open, particularly for those who began decades before.

Rene Percy, who started as a child actor on Degrassi High and has worked in the industry for nearly 30 years,saidshe's experienced harassment many times, including bya well-known filmmakerfacing accusations from dozens of other women.

"It's happened my whole life and because of the way we've sort of just swept it under the rug for so long or just the verbiage around it has been like 'oh that's just the way it is' or whatever, that I didn't even identify it as as harassment," said the L.A.-based Canadian actress.

Percy recently channeled her emotions into her work spearheadinga Funny or Die episode online in January called Funeral For Men.It was inspired by the number of famous people, from Bill Cosby toLouis C.K,being accused of misconduct.

Has Hollywood changed in the wake of #MeToo?

7 years ago
Duration 11:22
It has been months since Hollywood first dealt with allegations of sexual misconduct, but has it changed in the wake of the #MeToo movement? CBC News spoke to actors and journalists who cover Hollywood to find out if they're seeing change.

From small projects to large ones, the sheer volume of complaintshas inspired a number of initiatives, many of which are trying to bring tangible change.

Time's Up, a movement that has now raised more than $20 million USto help victims of sexual harassment with legal defence funding, is now pushing to achievegender parity in the industry by the year 2020 by involving key players.

"This is a movement of women, people of colour and LGBTQ members of the entertainment industry, advocating for leadership and hiring practices that reflect the reality of our audiences," the Time's Up organization said in an email to CBC News.

And they're not alone.

SAG-AFTRA, the union thatrepresents more than 160,000entertainment industry professionals in the U.S., held workshops this week for senior-level memberson how to identify and prevent sexual harassmentin the workplace.

SAG-AFTRA, the union representing actors and other entertainers in the U.S., held workshops this week to identify and prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. (Kim Brunhuber/CBC)

Earlier this month, the organizationalsoissued a code of conductand set up a hotline to report breaches. It's encouraging for some.

"There's always been codes of conduct for different things,"Community actress Yvette Nicole Brown told CBC News at a red carpet event earlier this week."We're signing them now. You weren't always signing them."

"So now you're signing them, saying 'I've read this and I know that I'm not supposed to do this.' So then if you do it, someone could sue you.Before the #MeToo movement, people were able to have a reign of terror for yearsbecause they never felt like anything was going to be done."

Yvette Nicole Brown told CBC News at the L.A. premiere of A Wrinkle In Time earlier this week that prior to the #MeToo movement, "people were able to have a reign of terror for years because they never felt like anything was going to be done." ( Christopher Polk/Getty Images)

That's beginning to change, saidPercy.

"I have a friend that was on set recently and she said, 'you know, there was a guy on set that was completely inappropriate and people said something and he was fired,'" Percy recounted."So it still happens. But the encouraging thing is itused to take 20, 30, 40, 100, 200-and-something women for change to happen. And now people are starting to believe just one woman."

For someone like Chaudry, who's just beginning to exploreHollywood's many layers,each change will make it easierwhen her parents are no longer her chaperones.

"I'm really grateful for the fact that we're doing something now," said Chaudry. "It would be a blessing if, when I'm older, we won't have to talk about these things anymore."

With files from Kim Brunhuber