On Wednesday, The Hollywood Reporter published an exposé of Emmy, Grammy, Academy and Tony award-winning film and theater producer Scott Rudin, whose many past credits include Uncut Gems, The Social Network, and No Country For Old Men—the latter of which got him his Oscar.
The write-up contained allegations of physical and mental abuse from staffers who used to work for Rudin, some of whom refused to be mentioned by name out of fear of career repercussions.
One former staffer says that Rudin lost his temper when an assistant was unable to get him onto a sold-out flight, and that he smashed an Apple computer on that person’s hand in response. As a result, immediate medical attention was sought to tend to a bleeding wound. The person whose hand it allegedly was declined to participate, but ex-assistant Andrew Coles says several people were witnesses.
Caroline Rugo, another staffer, said that Rudin’s anger would often lead to him throwing things around the office. For those looking for items more specific then “things,” laptops, teacups, and even a potato, were given as examples.
“He threw a laptop at the window in the conference room and then went into the kitchen and we could hear him beating on the napkin dispenser,” Rugo said. “Then another time he threw a glass bowl at [a colleague]. It’s hard to say if he threw it in the general direction or specifically at [the colleague], but the glass bowl hit the wall and smashed everywhere. The HR person left in an ambulance due to a panic attack. That was the environment.”
Rugo also says that her Type 1 diabetes made it necessary to have 30 minutes per day for exercise. Rudin had indicated he was okay with that, but she says that six months into her job he got mad and pressured her into either skipping her exercise or working faster. She says she declined to skip her workout time.
“I got fired for having Type 1 diabetes, which is a federally protected disability,” she said. “I one hundred percent could have sued him. But I didn’t because of the fear of being blacklisted. But I’ve worked at Netflix for a year and a half now. And it was such a shock to the system because it’s one of the most respectful and progressive workplaces in terms of employee relations. Now that I have established myself here and I am a part of a team where my opinions are respected and welcomed, I have no issue speaking out about Scott. Everyone just knows he’s an absolute monster.”
Others allege that Rudin would try to sabotage the careers of people who no longer worked for him.
The idea that Rudin may not be the best boss to work for appears to have been a bit of an open secret, as evidenced by past articles with headlines that labeled him “the most feared man in town,” and “the man known as Hollywood’s biggest a-hole.”
This newest piece calls for a confrontation regarding his “casual disregard for human rights.”
You can read the whole thing here.
