Amid mounting anger over allegations of bullying, Broadway and Hollywood producer Scott Rudin broke his silence on Saturday, saying he is deeply sorry and will step back from his theater work.
“After a period of reflection, I made the decision to withdraw from active participation in our Broadway productions with immediate effect. My roles will be filled by others from the Broadway community and in some cases from the selection of participants already attending those shows, ”Rudin said in a statement.
The move comes more than a week after the Hollywood Reporter’s cover story about Rudin included reports of former employees producing heavyweight throwing glass bowls, staples and baked potatoes. In his statement on Saturday, he did not deny the allegations.
“Much has been written about my history of troubling interactions with colleagues, and I deeply regret the pain my behavior has caused individuals, directly and indirectly. I am now taking steps I should have taken years ago to address this behavior, ”he said.
The Hollywood Reporter revelations also prompted artist unions SAG-AFTRA, Actors Equity and the American Federation of Musicians Local 802 to jointly condemn illegal harassment and harassment that create a toxic work environment for entertainment workers.
The revelations also prompted Tony Award winner Karen Olivo to return to Moulin Rouge! The Musical as soon as it reopens. There are also plans for a Broadway protest march on Wednesday, with stops at both Rudin’s office and the Winter Garden Theater, where Rudin is producing the Broadway revival of The Music Man. There is also a campaign to convince Actors’ Equity Association to add Rudin to a Do Not Work list.
In addition to The Music Man, Rudin’s current list of Broadway shows includes The Book of Mormon, To Kill a Mockingbird, and a West Side Story revival. It was unclear whether Rudin would also give up producing films, including the upcoming The Humans and The Tragedy of Macbeth.
In his statement, Rudin mentioned Broadway’s imminent reopening after the pandemic closed theaters for more than a year. He said he did not want to “interrupt” the upcoming work.
“My passionate hope and expectation is that Broadway will reopen with success very soon, and that the many talented artists associated with it will once again flourish and share their artistry with the world. I don’t want any controversy related to me to interrupt the well-deserved return of Broadway, or specifically the return of the 1,500 people who work on these shows. “
But Actors’ Equity Association, which represents more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers in live theater, was not satisfied with Rudin merely stepping back.
“We hope that Scott Rudin will also release his staff from any nondisclosure agreements they may have signed as a term of employment,” the organization said. “This is an important step in creating truly safe and harassment-free theatrical workplaces on Broadway and beyond.”