It appears that Bryan Singer’s fears of an article being dropped with allegations against him were well founded. The Atlantic released a piece this morning where they spoke to four of Singer’s alleged victims who had never before shared their stories. This comes on the heels of Bohemian Rhapsody winning Best Drama at the Golden Globes and being nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, something Singer is taking credit for despite being fired from the project.
Reported by Alex French and Maximillian Potter, the article is in-depth and damning. The content of the article details young men, some as young as 13, being assaulted by the director. In the era of #MeToo, where we discuss the way powerful men in Hollywood take advantage of young women, we need to include the young men who are taken advantage of, as well.
These allegations against Singer go all the way back to when he was making the film Apt Pupil in 1997; Victor Valdovinos, an extra on the film who was 13 at the time, alleges in the article that Singer assaulted him. Others don’t want to use their real names in the article, worrying about the potential backlash they might receive, but detail parties and assaults at Singer’s hands that were aided and abetted by others in power.
One actor told French and Potter, “after the Harvey Weinstein news came out, everyone thought Bryan Singer would be next.”
The article itself states, “Their accounts suggest that Singer didn’t act alone; he was aided by friends and associates who brought him young men. And he was abetted, in a less direct way, by an industry in which a record of producing hits confers immense power: Many of the sources we interviewed insisted, out of fear of damaging their own career, that we withhold their name, even as they expressed dismay at the behavior they’d witnessed.”
Singer has responded to the article already in a statement given to Deadline by a representative, saying,
“The last time I posted about this subject, Esquire magazine was preparing to publish an article written by a homophobic journalist who has a bizarre obsession with me dating back to 1997. After careful fact-checking and, in consideration of the lack of credible sources, Esquire chose not to publish this piece of vendetta journalism. That didn’t stop this writer from selling it to The Atlantic. It’s sad that The Atlantic would stoop to this low standard of journalistic integrity. Again, I am forced to reiterate that this story rehashes claims from bogus lawsuits filed by a disreputable cast of individuals willing to lie for money or attention. And it is no surprise that, with Bohemian Rhapsody being an award-winning hit, this homophobic smear piece has been conveniently timed to take advantage of its success.”
The piece itself contains serious fact checking, with confirmation of many details in the accusers’ stories. This piece has been in the works since before Bohemian Rhapsody began an awards circuit run, as well. If the piece seems well-timed, it’s most likely because the Oscars decided to honor a film made by a man who not only behaved incredibly unprofessionally and was ultimately fired, but one with serious allegations of sexual assault of minors against him.
Despite all this, Singer is currently signed on to direct Red Sonja, a film whose main character has suffered abuse. At this point, Hollywood has devolved into self-parody
(via The Atlantic, image: DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images)
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