Warning: This article contains allegations of sexual harassment which some readers may find distressing.
Emerald Fennell, the director of Wuthering Heights, has spoken out about an unsettling experience she went through when she used to be an actor.
Prior to becoming one of the world’s most talked about writer-directors, creating Promising Young Woman, Saltburn, and now the latest adaptation of Wuthering Heights, Fennell was a successful actor for many years.
Having starred in films such as The Danish Girl and hit TV series such as The Crown and Call the Midwife, she has spoken out about a shocking incident in which a director asked to upskirt her.
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Appearing on Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast to discuss her latest film Wuthering Heights, the actor-turned-director was asked a question many of his acting guests are asked: “What is the worst note a director has ever given you?”
Fennell responded, saying that it was: “Can you take your knickers off and let me film up your skirt?”
Horowitz was left absolutely stunned by the response, asking her how ‘that went over’ to which she simply said: “Not great.”
Fennell pointed out that it wasn’t ‘that long ago’ when she was acting (her first acting credit on IMDb is in 2006, with most of her roles being in the 2010s), saying: “This is the real world we live in.”
This is not the only time during the current press tour for Wuthering Heights that someone has spoken out about their mistreatment by men in the film industry, with Margot Robbie having spoken out about how a male co-star once gave her a book about losing weight.
She told Complex: "Very, very early in my career, an actor I worked with, a male actor, gave me a book called French Women Don’t Get Fat, and it was essentially a book telling you to eat less and I was like, whoa, f*ck you, dude."
Fennell has spoken out in the past about the prevalence of sexual assault and harassment, particularly in the promotion for her first feature film as a director, Promising Young Woman.
Promising Young Woman starred Carey Mulligan as the friend of a rape victim who committed suicide, deciding to become a vigilante and take revenge on the classmate who raped her friend.
Mulligan and Fennell were asked during the promotion of this film about where it stood with regards to the #MeToo movement, with Fennell responding telling Vogue: “#MeToo is so important and I have noticed a difference [in the industry since the movement began].
“When we both started out as actors, there were expectations around nudity.
“Almost every other thing I was sent had nudity in it, and to mind or question it was to be square and unprofessional.”
The #MeToo movement was born in 2017 after numerous allegations of sexual assault were made against powerful film producer Harvey Weinstein, exposing how many people in positions of power in Hollywood would use that power to sexually assault and harass particularly women in the industry.
Speaking more generally about the prevalence of sexual assault and harassment Fennell told the Sydney Morning Herald: “There’s no other crime where we foist the responsibility onto the victim.
"It’s ridiculous and it’s completely unacceptable.
“Not only should there be an enormous amount of shame for the people who perpetrate these crimes but there should be shame for the people who tacitly allow them.”
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact The Survivors Trust for free on 08088 010 818, available 10am-12.30pm, 1.30pm-3pm and 6pm-8pm Monday to Thursday, 10am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-3pm on Fridays, 10am-12.30pm on Saturdays and 6pm-8pm on Sundays.
Topics: Celebrity, Film, Margot Robbie, TV and Film
Michael Slavin