The fallout for producer Scott Rudin following allegations that he regularly abused employees has come slowly. While the bulk of Hollywood A-list talent has yet to condemn his behavior en masse, some companies have begun severing ties with him.
According to Variety, the independent movie studio A24 has now severed all business ties with Rudin despite him having produced such films as “Lady Bird” and “Uncut Gems.”
“The producer had no formal first-look deal with the company, but many of his projects found a natural home at the studio, where Rudin’s high-pedigree taste complemented A24’s filmmaker-friendly style,” reported Variety. “Rudin will no longer be involved with such upcoming A24 releases as ‘The Tragedy of Macbeth’ and ‘The Humans.’ He was also attached to Alex Garland’s ‘Men’ and ‘Red, White and Water’ — a war drama that will star Jennifer Lawrence — but will also exit those projects.”
“Projects that Rudin had in development with the studio, such as an adaptation of the 2020 bestseller ‘Shuggie Bain,’ are expected to continue at A24, albeit without the producer’s involvement. It’s unclear if Rudin and A24 came to any type of financial settlement,” the report added.
In a lengthy expose for The Hollywood Reporter (THR) earlier this month, several of Rudin’s former staffers alleged that the producer, who already had a reputation for being hot-tempered, would regularly engage in verbally and physically abusive behavior in the office. One particularly nasty incident involved him allegedly smashing an Apple computer over an assistant’s hand, sending him to the emergency room.
In a statement released on Saturday, Rudin said that he will be stepping away from his role in current Broadway productions as he takes “certain steps” to address his behavior.
“After a period of reflection, I’ve made the decision to step back from active participation on our Broadway productions, effective immediately. My roles will be filled by others from the Broadway community and in a number of cases, from the roster of participants already in place on those shows,” Rudin said.
“Much has been written about my history of troubling interactions with colleagues, and I am profoundly sorry for the pain my behavior caused to individuals, directly and indirectly. I am now taking steps that I should have taken years ago to address this behavior,” he added.
“My passionate hope and expectation is that Broadway will reopen successfully very soon, and that the many talented artists associated with it will once again begin to thrive and share their artistry with the world. I do not want any controversy associated with me to interrupt Broadway’s well deserved return, or specifically, the return of the 1,500 people working on these shows,” he concluded.
Thus far, the biggest name in the industry to publicly rebuke Rudin is Annapurna co-founder Megan Ellison. In a tweet earlier this month, Ellison alleged that Rudin engaged in sexist and racist behavior beyond the allegations of physical and mental abuse detailed in the THR article.
“This piece barely scratches the surface of Scott Rudin’s abusive, racist, and sexist behavior. Similarly to Harvey, too many are afraid to speak out. I support and applaud those who did. There’s good reason to be afraid because he’s vindictive and has no qualms about lying,” she tweeted.