Tom Hanks gave his take on sexual harassment in Hollywood Saturday, noting simply that “it’s everywhere,” and adding that he hopes “repercussions land exactly as they should.”
Hollywood has always been a breeding ground for bad behavior, the veteran actor told CNN’s David Axelrod on CNN’s “The Axe Files,” airing Saturday at 7pm ET.
“In a lot of ways we all left town and joined the circus, and the circus is glamorous in a lot of ways. And there is camaraderie and there is sex and there’s attraction and there’s boyfriends and girlfriends and there’s flirting and that’s always been part of … there’s on-set affairs,” Hanks said.
But recent revelations — which have seen many high-profile Hollywood players, from Harvey Weinstein to Louis CK to Kevin Spacey, accused of sexual harassment and assault — go “much farther beyond that,” he emphasized
“It ends up being a swaying of influence and it becomes part of the marketplace,” Hanks told Axelrod.
Hanks said that he fully supports victims sharing their stories.
“When it is inherent in the workforce that you join, that you have to succumb to a degree of sexual harassment in order to keep your job, when that happens, the only thing you can say is, number one, I hope the victims come out and tell all sorts of stories, everything, tell the truth about what goes on. And that the repercussions land exactly as they should,” he said.
Asked by Axelrod if he was surprised by some of the revelations in recent weeks, Hanks said that he had “absolutely” been shocked by the “overtness” of many of the stories that have emerged. But as for the alleged perpetrators, one name in particular hadn’t surprised him at all, he said.
“Harvey,” he said, referring to movie titan Harvey Weinstein, who currently stands accused of sexual harassment or assault by more than 40 women.
“He had a way of doing business … that would not make you surprised to have him be one of those kind of guys that does that in the workplace,” Hanks told Axelrod.
Hanks had no sympathy for any other men who had stepped over the line. But he did have a clear message for them.
“There’s a time and place for decorum and ethics — and you blew it,” he said.