Entertainment

Actresses are afraid to expose sexual misconduct in Russian film business

Sexual harassment of actresses in Russia runs rampant – yet hardly anyone talks about it because they are terrified they will be made to “disappear” if they dish, according to industry insiders.

Actresses in Moscow told the Daily Beast that they’d been victimized by well-known directors who were much older.

Xenia, who didn’t provide her full name, was targeted during a job interview with a higher-up more than 40 years older when she was in her second year at Moscow’s theatrical university.

“He closed the door and told me to take off all my clothes,” Xenia said. “I asked him what for, and he immediately kicked me out, grumpily yelling that he had no interest in actresses who ask questions instead of doing what they were told to do.”

Anna Pukhova, a Moscow-based actress, has had similar experiences. She lost out on two gigs after turning down “intimate offers,” the Daily Beast reported. Both involved directors more than 30 years older than Pukhova.

“All my life, since school, I’ve heard that the bed opens doors in theater, but I refused to believe that such a disgraceful thing could be true,” said Pukhova, now a theater director.

“There is always a chance to say ‘No’ – but at the cost of losing a job or other opportunity,” she said.

Russians have reason to keep their mouths shut about sexual harassment than come forward publicly with claims, Russian dramatist and actor Victor Shenderovich told the outlet.

“It took Hollywood actresses decades to make Weinstein’s behavior public, so it does not surprise me that in Russia actresses are quiet — they will disappear the day they talk,” said Shenderovich. “The fact that sexual harassment of young actresses by old directors with authority has become a norm, a routine, that nobody ever talks about is a catastrophe.”