Actor Alec Baldwin called for new workplace policies in the entertainment business that would eliminate the potential for harassment based on gender.
“We’ve got to be vigilant in a new way” about stopping people from being victimized as part of the process of working on a show or movie, said the actor and host, who may be best known currently for his portrayal of President Donald Trump on “Saturday Night Live.” Baldwin made his remarks while accepting an award at the Paley Honors held at The Paley Center for Media, and suggested people in the industry “take some kind of a pledge” to end harassment. “You are probably not going to see an unsupervised casting session in Hollywood for some time,” he noted.
Baldwin acknowledged he may not have always evidenced the best behavior toward women in the past, and could have been dismissive or treated someone in a sexist fashion. The current “tsunami” of harassment claims has been “eye-opening” for him, he said. “I’m from a generation” that didn’t always treat women fairly, he said,”not as a rule, but from time to time” and I’d really like that to change.”
But he suggested producers, actors, and executives need to focus on creating working environments that are safe, fair, comfortable and productive. “What’s the environment where we can do our best work?”
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Baldwin revealed that he expected to appear on “Saturday Night Live” this weekend, though he did not offer any details about what he might do on the show. He originally agreed to do a Trump impression for three broadcasts, he said, only to find that the gig is lasting considerably longer. The show, he said, “is a loony bin” that is like “no other loony bin you’ve been in.”
