“My passionate hope and expectation is that Broadway will reopen successfully very soon, and that the many talented artists associated with it will once again flourish and share their artistry with the world,” he said in the statement. “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.”
Actors’ Equity, a union representing more than 51,000 stage actors and stage managers, released a statement welcoming Rudin’s announcement.
“Since news reports came out about Scott Rudin, we have had many private conversations with our siblings and the Broadway League,” said the statement from the union’s president, Kate Shindle, and executive director, Mary McColl. “We have heard from hundreds of members that these allegations are inexcusable and that everyone deserves a safe workplace, whether they are union members or not.”
The union, joined by SAG-AFTRA and the American Federation of Musicians Local 802, issued a statement Monday saying that “no employee should be subject to bullying or harassment,” but didn’t mention Rudin by name.
Rudin, 62, has been a dominant figure in the American entertainment industry for years. He is one of the few people known as EGOTs for winning Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Awards, and he was able to combine a keen eye for casting with relationships in the film and theater industry to put together many star projects in both. industries.
Although he worked for a time as a studio manager in Hollywood, many of his most prominent projects have taken to the stage in recent years.
But he has been haunted for decades by reports that he has threatened, berated and thrown objects with people working in his office. And in industries with a long history of tolerating bad behavior from people who produce good art, it has largely continued to thrive.