Underworld star Kate Beckinsale has shared a frightening experience of sexual harassment on a film set in a video posted on Instagram. The actress was inspired to post the video after seeing the response to the sexual harassment allegations made by Blake Lively against the director and co-actor of It Ends With Us, Justin Baldoni.
In her post, Beckinsale expressed gratitude to Lively for bringing the issue to light, as it highlighted that sexual harassment is an ongoing problem in the industry.
Beckinsale recalled an incident where she was referred to as “cunt” after criticizing a male co-actor who regularly showed up drunk on set. She explained, “He was going through personal issues at the time, and I sympathized with him. But he was an addict. We, the crew, had to wait six hours every day for him. His lines were hard for him to memorize, which delayed my schedule, preventing me from spending time with my daughter in the evenings. When I confronted him about it, he got angry and called me disrespectful and used offensive language.”
She also revealed that on two different film sets, she was forced to follow strict diets and exercise routines, which led to her periods stopping. Additionally, while shooting an action film, one of her co-actors physically assaulted her. When she protested, she was boycotted on set.
Beckinsale shared another incident where, after suffering a miscarriage, a producer forced her to attend a photoshoot the following day. She was unwilling due to bleeding, but the producer threatened to sue her. She said, “Not only did he show no respect for me as an artist, but he also had no regard for me as a woman.”
Furthermore, at the age of 18, Beckinsale was physically harassed by a crew member. When she told her fellow actresses about the incident, they ignored her, acting as if it were normal.
She concluded, “This kind of disrespect towards women in the industry has been ongoing. I could mention millions of similar stories, but I am grateful to Blake Lively for bringing this issue forward. Because of her, we’re finally talking about it.”