Abigail Breslin says she was sued for reporting a co-star’s “unprofessional behavior”
Following the Lively-Baldoni lawsuit, Breslin joined fellow actor Kate Beckinsale in speaking out against sexism she's experienced in Hollywood..
Photo by Rebecca Sapp (Getty Images for SBIFF)
Much like Kate Beckinsale, Blake Lively’s allegations of sexual harassment against It Ends With Us director and co-star Justin Baldoni have inspired fellow actor Abigail Breslin to come forward with her experiences. In a Tumblr post over the weekend, Breslin blogged, “When did the word woman become synonymous with scapegoat?” She continued, “In light of recent events regarding the attempt to destroy the career and livelihood of a fellow actress and woman, I have felt compelled to write this, as I have unfortunately been subject to the same toxic masculinity throughout my life.”
Breslin claims that her attempts to fight back against sexism in her life and career were met with derision and legal action. “In my recent career, I’ve brought forward concerns about a male colleague and was deemed ‘hysterical,'” she wrote. “I was told my fears were figments of my imagination. Now, as I’m seeing this pattern pop up more, I realize this is the norm.”
She continued:
When a suit was filed against me by a former employer, (the suit was withdrawn), after making a confidential complaint against a coworker for unprofessional behavior, I had the silly and naive impression they would believe me. I am not known as a liar in my field of work, no matter how vocal I may be. Hence, why I’ve been working for 25 years. Instead of being believed and protected, a suit was filed against me for having the audacity to speak up. I was publicly shamed and defamed in the process. A reputation I had cultivated for over 2 decades had now been tainted as I became the crazy, paranoid and to quote directly, “hysterical and wild” woman, who apparently just had it in for men. My previous abuse was also brought up as “unfounded claims”, and I was made to seem like someone who just goes after men, rather than being seen as someone who has been dealing as a professional in this world, since I was a child, standing up for herself. This was after I had taken all of the recommended, reasonable and appropriate measures of reporting confidentially to my union.
While Breslin doesn’t name any names in the blog post, in 2023, Rolling Stone reported that a lawsuit had been filed against Breslin after she refused to be alone with co-star Aaron Eckhart during the production of the film Classified. In the suit, Breslin accused Eckhart of “aggressive, demeaning, and unprofessional behavior which she insisted placed her at various times in peril.” An on-set producer investigated the accusation and found “no evidence in support of Breslin’s wild, hysterical and imaginary allegations against Eckhart,” telling us pretty much everything we need to know about the sincerity and unbiased nature of the investigation.
Earlier, Kate Beckinsale also shared her experiences, rattling off a series of sexual harassment incidents she’s endured throughout her career and lambasting the expectation that women simply allow themselves to be victimized. “If you mention it, you’re fucked,” Beckinsale said. “It’s supposed to be; you absorb it, and you’re somehow the homie. That has to stop. I am grateful to Blake Lively for highlighting this is not an archaic problem no one is facing. This is continuing. When it does happen, a machine goes in place to absolutely destroy you.”