“Creating a better industry for my students is more important to me than putting money in my pocket,” said the artist. Moulin Rouge! Actor Karen Olivo says she is not returning to the Broadway production as a protest against Scott Rudin
Karen Olivo, who plays Satin in a Broadway production starting in 2019, announced his departure from the role in an Instagram video on Monday. In the video, the Tony-winning artist said, “Social justice is an important industry compared to being a sparkling diamond. Building a better industry is important to my students.”
“Silence about Scott Rudin? Unacceptable. Unacceptable. It’s easy, I’m it’s a monster. It must be a mindless one. Who you say you’re scared of, what are you afraid of?” She then challenged the rest of the industry to speak: “Are you going to protect your pocketbook? And let people go to the emergency room so you can do your next concert?” She said, “That’s it. I don’t need to be on a stage.
I need to be out of here… people are more important than your pocketbook. ” Olive’s statements come a day after three artists ‘unions – SAG-AFTRA, Actors’ Equity, and the American Federation of Musicians Local 802 – condemned workplace abuse in a THR’s Rudin Story statement.
The statement said, “Every worker is qualified to do his or her job in an environment free from any form of harassment, whether that harassment creates a toxic workplace or certainly in the case of sexual harassment when that behavior also Be against the law. “
Some notable industry members have also noted Rudin’s alleged behavior – including Annapurna Pictures founder Megan Ellison, Star Trek: Discovery, and Rent star Anthony Rapp and On Your Feet! Star Mauricio Martinez – But, as a whole, theater and entertainment companies and industry members have largely remained silent on the matter.
Rudin’s creations include several major projects, including Netflix’s The Woman of the Window, out May 14, Joel Coen’s The Tragedy of Macbeth, and Lila Nigebauer’s Red, White, and Water. Speaking to THR, several of Rudin’s on-the-record former employees alleged that the producer smashed one assistant’s computer monitor, threw baked potatoes on another’s head, and also threw a stapler while an assistant in the office. At the end of the Instagram video, Karen Olivo
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