In Hollywood, being labeled difficult to work with can really throw a wrench in your career. I was devastated when Katherine Heigl left Grey’s Anatomy, with Shonda Rhimes stating the actress was difficult to work with. Having followed Heigl since she was on Roswell extensively, I found this shocking. The actress had movies and a few popular TV series under her belt. It would be years before Katherine Heigl and former co-star Ellen Pompeo would do a podcast[1] that shed more light on this injustice. Katherine had been fighting for actors’ rights on the set of Grey’s Anatomy. During the interview, Ellen Pompeo says, “There’s two roles women fit into: victim or villain.”
Katherine says, “And I think I was so naïve. Listen, I went and I got my soapbox, and I put my soapbox down, and I got on my soapbox, and I had some things to say. And I felt really passionate about this stuff. And I felt really strongly. I felt so strongly that I really, I also got a megaphone out, on my soapbox, but I had no, there was no part of me that imagined a bad reaction.” This is in reaction to several issues; the Isaiah Washington and T.R. Knight situation, working conditions on set, and a refusal to participate in an Emmy race that Katherine Heigl felt she didn’t deserve to be in[2].
Later, Ellen says, “Listen, nobody likes a confident woman. They’d rather you be a woman looking for your confidence than you actually be a confident woman. Because that makes them nervous.” This is a further backing of Katherine after Pompeo spoke on her podcast, Tell Me With Ellen Pompeo[3], agreeing about the cruel conditions on set[4].
Katherine further explains with, “and then Grey’s hit, and the success happened. And I think that gave me this confidence that was, it was a false sense of confidence. That it wasn’t rooted in anything real. It was rooted in something that couldn’t and maybe wouldn’t always last for me. Do you know? So, then I started getting real mouthy, because I did have a lot to say. And there were certain boundaries and things that I was not ok with being crossed. If you cannot stand up for yourself in this industry, very few people will stand up for you.”
Sarah Michelle Geller has been applauded by former co-stars on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer set for standing up for workers’ rights[5]. She helped people on set, and when Charisma Carpenter went public with further allegations Sarah Michelle Geller stood by her cast mate. Long hours, purposely being pitted against each other, constant threats of being fired or killed off (in character), and the disturbing news that director Joss Whedon was not allowed to be alone on any set with Michelle Trachtenberg. These are just a few of the injustices that the women on the set of Buffy endured. Sarah Michelle Geller, and Charisma Carpenter were labeled difficult to work with after being on the show. Sarah Michelle Geller had been doing movies during hiatuses of the series, possibly allowing her the chance to better fight back against these unfair allegations.
Kate Hudson explained in an interview; “She decided to tell people that told her to stay in her lane to go f—k themselves and basically started producing her own movies, which wasn’t happening at the time.”
During a recent defense of her mother with a former co-star Kate Hudson recalled, “He was sort of saying that she was challenging and I remember thinking, ‘You know, that’s funny, but was she right about what you thought was her being difficult?’” she recalled. “And he was like, ‘Oh yeah, I mean she was definitely right. The whole script needed a complete rewrite.” So male actors are parroting what is being said to them, even if they agree with the actress. The script needed a re-write but because a woman said she is difficult to work with. If a man had said it, would he be labeled a visionary? Someone who helped make that film what it was? If we label women who stand up for their rights and the rights of those working with them as difficult, will we shut them up? We will pass it on to directors, and casting agents, and we will give them impossible working conditions, forcing them to stop talking or taking away the platform from which they can talk[6]. Some of the actresses who have spoken out about this are, Jennifer Lawrence[7], Charisma Carpenter[8], Jennifer Lopez[9], Sean Young[10], and Goldie Hawn[11].
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ30Hl1UOaw
[2] https://wondery.com/shows/diss-and-tell/episode/13461-katherine-heigl-and-shonda-rhimes/
[3] https://open.spotify.com/episode/1UHDbZ1sLoUygiLlYMy8cl
[4] https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2022/04/21/greys-anatomy-ellen-pompeo-backs-katherine-heigls-complaints/7402117001/
[5] https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/sarah-michelle-gellar-protected-co-stars-on-buffy-the-vampire-slayer-set/
[6] https://www.rogerebert.com/features/the-history-of-hollywoods-difficult-women
[7] https://Toofab.com/2017/11/15/Jennifer-lawrence-called-difficult-and-a-nightmare-and-4-4more-revelations-from-a-list-actresses/
[8] https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-11683133/Sarah-Michelle-Gellar-says-wants-create-safe-work-environment-young-actors.html
[9] https://www.buzzfeed.com/kristenharris1/celebs-called-difficult-to-work-with
[10] https://variety.com/2021/film/news/sean-young-ridley-scott-oliver-stone-warren-beatty-1234935883/
[11] https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/kate-hudson-says-determined-mom-goldie-hawn-unfairly-labeled-difficult-1970s-80s-hollywood