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In a truly shocking article from The Rolling Stone, James Toback has finally released a statement about the myriad of sexual misconduct allegations levied against him. The article is interesting to say the least and documents Toback calling up the reporter on three separate occasions, chastising the reporter for his “rude questions,” and calling his accusers “lying c*cksuckers or c**ts.” Toback also managed to avoid the central question around his reputation — whether or not he assaulted these women — while plugging his upcoming movie. It’s truly an interview for the ages.
Toback, an indie film director with very famous friends, is not a name that typically appears in headlines. He’s known for such movies as Black and White, Two Girls and a Guy, and The Pick Up Artist — movies that have small budgets, small audiences, and critical acclaim. However that changed over this past weekend. On Saturday, the LA Times‘ Glenn Whipp published an explosive piece telling the stories of 38 women who have spoken out about unwanted sexual advances from Toback. A day later, Whipp published a follow-up piece, stating that now more than 200 women have come forward. That number has now climbed to over 300, with well-known actresses like Rachel McAdams and Selma Blair speaking out as well. Until today the director has stayed quiet on the issue. However, as proven by The Rolling Stone‘s article, that doesn’t mean Toback doesn’t have anything to say.
Written by Hillel Aron, the interview immediately starts off on a weird note with Toback insisting he be recorded for fear of being misquoted. Once Aron and Toback reconnected, Aron outlined the allegations made about Toback in a fairly predictable manner. This was enough to seemingly set the director off.
“Lemme be really clear about this. I don’t want to get a pat on the back, but I’ve struggled seriously to make movies with very little money, that I write, that I direct, that mean my life to me,” Toback said. “The idea that I would offer a part to anyone for any other reason than that he or she was gonna be the best of anyone I could find is so disgusting to me. And anyone who says it is a lying cocksucker or cunt or both. Can I be any clearer than that?”
The rest of the interview maintained this hostile tone. At one point, Toback says of those who accuse him of offering roles to unknown women in exchange for sexual favors “I just want to spit in his or her fucking face.” Toback later denied knowing either Ambika Leigh or Sari Kamin, two women who accused him of harassment. Of Leigh he said he would remember her because “it’s a very unusual name.” He also said that the sexual misconduct allegations aren’t worth talking about and accused the alleged victims of ganging up on him.
“I mean, these are people I don’t know, and it’s things I never would have done. And it’s just not worth talking about. It’s idiotic,” he said. “My question to you is, do you want to be a writer? Do you have any sense of yourself as a serious person? Because this stuff should be beneath anybody.”
Toback also added, “It’s pathetic lies. It’s just too fucking embarrassing and idiotic. And if I were you, I wouldn’t go repeating it, unless you really knew it were true, because it isn’t.”
In his piece, Aron writes that he was too stunned to fight Toback on his responses, which is certainly understandable. However, it’s important to note that Toback neither confirmed nor denied the allegations of sexual misconduct in this interview. Rather, he spends most of the interview attacking the other, far less important allegation — that Toback allegedly promises film roles to women as a pick up move. You can (and should) read the article in full here.
