The #MeToo movement is a phenomenon that has transcended social justice throughout America. More than ever, men, regardless of power status, are being held accountable for sexual misconduct, harassment and rape. Hollywood seems to be the most powerful enterprise with an abundance of these cases.
Following the accusations against actor Bill Cosby and producer Harvey Weinstein, moguls are having their facades terminated. While unmasking these men is a great step toward justice, the movement should not stop there. Complicity by those close to the abusers has been a key component in allowing these acts to take place.
In her interview with the New York Times, Uma Thurman sheds light on the injustices women face. Thurman recalls her acting career and how she felt disrespected for being a woman. She believes she had been put in numerous peril situations, such as her infamous car crash while filming “Kill Bill,” because she is a woman.
She begins the interview explaining her relationship with Weinstein and condemning him. She had contributed to an acceleration of wealth for
Weinstein after her performance as Mia Wallace in the critically-acclaimed movie “Pulp Fiction.” She describes how she had a trusting relationship with Weinstein. He often praised her artistic abilities, and this blinded her to any malice he may inflict on her in the future.
Her imperceptions came to an end when Weinstein attacked her in his suite in the Savoy Hotel in London.
“He tried to push me down,” Thurman said. “He tried to shove himself on me. He tried to expose himself. He did all kinds of unpleasant things. But he didn’t actually have to put his back in it and force me. You’re like an animal wriggling away, like a lizard.”
Thurman said she feels guilty for Weinstein’s other victims because she is a prominent reason other actresses were comfortable with him. She attempted to confront Weinstein about the situation in the Savoy Bar, but his assistants insisted she meet him in his room.  
Thurman said Weinstein threatened to derail her career during the confrontation.
“I was never a special kind of studio darling,” Thurman said. “He had a chokehold for the type of films and directors that were right for me.”
The consequence of these events strained her relationship with director Quentin Tarantino, the mind behind many of the Thurman and Weinstein collaborations. Tarantino had used Weinstein as an executive producer in his movie “Kill Bill.” When Tarantino noticed Thurman’s uneasiness toward Weinstein, she elaborated her situation to him. Tarantino did eventually confront Weinstein about the situation.
Thurman’s unfair treatment in Hollywood  did not end with her encounters with Weinstein. Thurman recalled her infamous car crash in “Kill Bill.” The car mechanics had explained to her the car was not fully fitted for her stunt. She did not feel comfortable driving the automobile. But, as with many great art creators, Tarantino is egotistical. He insisted she portray his vision of the scene. Thurman crashed the car and sustained severe neck injuries.
Tarantino’s infliction of painful events has not stopped. The director is famous for producing progressive movies. “Django Unchained” and “Inglourious Basterds” are critically acclaimed historical fiction movies. “Kill Bill” is critically acclaimed for being in line with the feminist movement. His newest film portrays Charles Manson’s murders in 1969.
Manson murdered Roman Polanski’s pregnant wife. Tarantino enlisted Roman Polanski as an actor in the film. This is problematic because Polanski is accused of raping a 13-year-old girl. To exacerbate matters, a clip of Tarantino defending the incident on the “Howard Stern Show” in 2003 was released and
multiplied on social media webs.
In the video, Tarantino labels the victim, Samantha Geimer, as a “party girl” who “wanted to have it.” Tarantino also claimed, “He had sex with a minor. That’s not rape.”
Tarantino has recently issued an apology, claiming he was “ignorant” when he made these comments. Yet, Polanski is still set to play in his new movie.
Tarantino is not the only Hollywood figure that has been complicit with injustices against women. Many other Hollywood actors, producers and
directors have been rumored to have knowledge about such injustices. Hollywood once had an infamous petition signed by 138 Hollywood heavyweights including Weinstein, Woody Allen and Martin Scorsese defending Polanski.
Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “To ignore evil is to become an accomplice to it.” Hollywood is a microcosm of our society. We must reform our moral standards in society to bring justice for those treated unjustly. For this change to occur, we cannot be complicit to the evil around us. Hollywood must stand up to oppressors, and so should the rest of us.
Soheil Saneei is a 19-year-old biological engineering freshman from Metairie, Louisiana.