'It made me feel small' - Anna Faris exposes dark underbelly of Hollywood through her experiences

Hollywood actress Anna Faris revisits an unsettling chapter from her past, recounting alleged harassment from the late director Ivan Reitman during the production of the 2006 film, "My Super Ex-Girlfriend".

Anna Faris, renowned for her roles in comedy, delved into a less humorous side of her Hollywood journey on her podcast, "Anna Faris Is Unqualified." She candidly recounted her alleged mistreatment by director Ivan Reitman, painting a picture of a challenging and oppressive environment on the film set.

During her conversation with writer-director Lena Dunham, Faris spoke of an incident where Reitman berated her and slapped her rear. "One of my hardest film experiences was with Ivan Reitman. The idea of attempting to make a comedy under this reign of terror. He was a yeller... And my first day, it was me," she told Dunham, as reported by the Los Angeles Times in October 2022. This supposed reign of terror took a disturbing turn when Faris arrived late on set due to a wardrobe malfunction, leading to a verbal onslaught by Reitman.

What is perhaps more disconcerting about the story is the reaction of Faris and the crew to Reitman's alleged actions. "I remember looking around and ... seeing the crew members being like, 'Wait, what are you going to do about that? That seemed weird,'" Faris stated. However, her response was to downplay the incident, even making light of the situation, a clear indication of the power dynamics at play in Hollywood at the time.

"But it made me feel small. He wouldn't have done that to the lead male," she remarked, highlighting the industry's ongoing struggle with gender inequality.

Looking back, Faris muses that Reitman’s behavior perhaps stemmed from an outdated Hollywood “mentality” that a leader “was supposed to be an a— ... a scary one.” Still, the incident serves as a stark reminder of the distance Hollywood has traveled – and still needs to traverse – in addressing issues of harassment and gender disparity.

Faris' revelations offer an opportunity to reflect on the significant changes in Hollywood since the #MeToo movement began, as well as the work still to be done to ensure equal respect for all in the industry.

(Several parts of the text in this article, including the title, were generated with the help of an AI tool.)