It's time to start regulating laws for children in the film industry

 

Drake Bell

   I just finished Quiet on Set: the Dark Side of Kids TV last night, and was fascinated, horrified, and above all, not surprised. If you've ever experienced a gig in the film industry, then you know exactly what I'm talking about when I say it is a dark, dark jungle out there. One of the first sets I ever worked on was an indie film in Virginia as a P.A. I wanted to be a director eventually (I still do). It took one day of shooting for the director that was at least 3 times my age to hit on me, even suggesting that I should follow him to film a movie in New York, just the two of us. Did I mention his wife was on that set? Yeah...

    If it was bad for me as an 18 year old in a minor city for a no-name flick that would only play locally, I can't imagine how terrible it was for children in Hollywood. It's easy to say that this is only a movie thing, and I think there's some merit to that statement, but the reality is that predators infiltrate every industry across the board, the only difference is that there isn't as big of an audience for those cases, and a lot of money is involved here.

    But there are always people that are trying to speak out, even when it might not be good for their careers; even if at best you may get one article written by someone actually willing to help you. Things like this often don't get revealed until long after the crimes take place. Networks have no reason to cover their tracks anymore if these predators aren't making them a profit. There's no one left to pay hush money, or ruin careers if they don't have the same connections or names they used to, so these predators are finally put into a corner and caught.

    Children are only starting to figure out basic things like who they are and what they like. Simply put, they are developing. Oftentimes they don't understand that adults may have nefarious intentions because they have no other experience to compare it to. Adults can bully, intimidate, and discriminate against children a lot easier. Who's going to believe you? Don't tell anyone or you'll never work in this industry again. If it's easy for children to strong-arm other children into doing things they don't want to, adults are a whole other playing field.

    I'm not sure how much I believe the parents in Quiet on Set, either. Many of them make a lot of excuses for the way they handled these cases. Some of them seem genuine, others sound downright horrendous with their behaviors. I kept hearing "my son wanted this," or "my daughter wanted this so badly," and to me all it's sounding like is "I wanted this so badly." Parents are able to live vicariously through their child, even at the detriment to them. Sometimes it's for money, other times it's for fame, and in some cases it's nepotism. Sometimes it's a combination of all three. Regardless of the reasoning, it's apparent that the parents are partly to blame.

    So if the industry isn't protecting these kids, their parents aren't protecting these kids, then who does that leave? No one, and that's exactly why so many of them get victimized. The solution is that laws need to be introduced to protect the vulnerable. Perhaps they can't be in the presence of an adult they work for without accompaniment from a legal parent/guardian. Maybe there needs to be someone that is on set at all times to monitor the behavior of the adult staff. If you watch the documentary, there are so many times where the staff on these productions have actual criminal histories, which I'm surprised isn't illegal already. These are crimes so abominable that the government needs to step in and say, this cannot go on any longer. 

    To have a more in-depth understanding of how these crimes get covered up or excused, check out Ronan Farrow's Catch and Kill. This book was basically responsible for the downfall of Harvey Weinstein, and it was shocking to see how far companies would go to stop him from developing this, even going so far as hiring private investigators to watch his every movement. It is very, very telling and scary, but we can draw parallels to child abuse here even if the book focuses on crimes between adults. I have a feeling that Farrow heard much more than what's in this, but for some legal or safety reason he is unable to. There needs to be justice, there needs to be precautions taken and they aren't. It makes me angry at the people who make these conspiracies about Satan-worshiping blood sacrifices or whatever, because it's not like that. This is not like the movies, this is real life, and real life sometimes looks a lot more mundane or casual than what we're imagining in our heads. There is no grand evil council or demons or whatever other crazy story people like to come up with, it's everyday people being predators committing crimes, and they need to be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.

    We have unions for actors, so why is this any different? This is once again an instance of capitalist greed overtaking what is morally right. The most innocent are affected more than anyone else. Take for example, Amanda Bynes who like many stars from her hey-day spiraled and struggled with their mental health and public image for years after their debut. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen seem to want nothing to do with being famous and actively avoid being seen by paparazzi or picking up any new projects. Lindsey Lohan received the same treatment, and even seemed to be ridiculed for it by the public. Drake Bell of Drake and Josh, among his other projects, admitted in the documentary that he struggled with substance abuse and PTSD for years. I'm glad that he felt safe and brave enough to come forward, because many victims don't for completely understandable reasons. The shame and embarrassment involved has to be astronomical. These people should never have to feel like they can't talk about these things for fear of being judged; even having their livelihood or life in danger. Again this is another classic case where companies pay people to not publish certain stories or narratives that may be detrimental to said company's image, and subsequently their finances. You create a world where predators get away with it and victims continue to suffer in silence.

    I caution anyone who wants their child to work in the entertainment industry, and I also ask viewers of media to think critically about the shows they're watching and the people they're supporting by watching them. It's a dark world out there, but we can improve it with awareness and empathy, kindness and understanding. 

Here is a website that tracks movies and TV shows that are affiliated with known predators. Make it known that audiences won't tolerate and support this behavior with their dollars! And if you're a young actor or actress struggling to come forward, know that there is so much love and support for you. I know very few people read this blog but on the off chance you are a victim of any circumstance and need someone to talk to my email is on my profile (you can choose to remain anonymous, too). It makes me sad when people feel powerless, and there's not much I can personally do except listen, but sometimes that's all somebody needs. Sending everyone who needs it lots of hugs and love. We can do this if we just listen. 💜❤

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