Over 300 women have stepped forward either publicly or privately, and shared their experiences of being harassed or assaulted by writer/director James Toback. From women who aspired to Hollywood careers, to celebrities Rachel McAdams and Selma Blair, they’ve all shared distressingly similar stories, where Toback arranged auditions and meetings in his hotel room, whereupon he’s made unwanted suggestions and advances. Now, he’s responded to the allegations and made it worse for himself.
Rolling Stone reached out to the filmmaker through his agent Jeff Berg, who no longer works for the director. Toback demanded that the conversation was recorded so he wasn’t misquoted, so rest assured, this is exactly how he responded, word-for-word.
“Lemme be really clear about this. I don’t want to get a pat on the back, but I’ve struggled seriously to make movies with very little money, that I write, that I direct, that mean my life to me. The idea that I would offer a part to anyone for any other reason than that he or she was gonna be the best of anyone I could find is so disgusting to me. And anyone who says it is a lying cocksucker or cunt or both. Can I be any clearer than that?” he said. “Anyone who says that, I just want to spit in his or her fucking face.”
Even more, Toback dismisses the notion that the allegations should be taken seriously, suggesting that he’s the victim in all this.
“….they hear each other. And they gang up. There was an article years and years ago with a bunch of anonymous people. People read things… it’s all, you know, me too, me too, me too, me too, me too. Anyway, it’s too stupid to waste time on. It really is. It doesn’t have anything to do with my life in any way. It never has. I work seriously with complete integrity. I never, never, never have offered a part to anyone who didn’t deserve it, and I’ve never not delivered when I do offer a part. My word is better than a contract,” he said.
It’s a response and defence by Toback that shows his greatest concern appears to be his legacy and reputation, and not for the literally hundreds of women who have stated they’ve had encounters with him that were far from professional.
In case you’re wondering, Toback has not been a member of the Academy for years, because he has not paid his annual dues.
