Believe it or not, Roman Polanski thinks the #MeToo movement is "collective hysteria"

Everybody who was waiting for Roman Polanski to weigh in on the #MeToo movement can now breathe a sigh of relief, because the renowned filmmaker who was convicted of drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl in the ‘70s has now shared his predictably negative thoughts on the campaign. Speaking with the Polish edition of Newsweek (via the Associated Press), Polanski said the movement is a “collective hysteria” that everyone is getting on board with “chiefly out of fear.” He compares it to the way North Korea mourns for dead leaders, in that the emotion is so overblown and dramatic that “you can’t help laughing.”

Apparently, for whatever reason, this man who fled the United States after pleading guilty to a lesser charge of “unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor” has some kind of issue with men in power being called out for inappropriate sexual behavior. Also, the word “hysteria” comes from the Greek word for “uterus,” because it was originally believed to be something that only women could suffer from. Aren’t words fun?

Anyway, Polanski made these comments before the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences decided to rescind his membership, which came just about 15 years after he received the grossest standing ovation in history. Polanski has threatened to sue the Academy, claiming that its own rules give him a right to a fair hearing, but that’s apparently not the case. According to The Hollywood Reporter’s sources, the Academy’s bylaws don’t seem to give expelled members a right to appeal if they’ve been expelled for violating its Standards Of Conduct, but it seems like Polanski has always believed he’s entitled to some wiggle room when it comes to rules anyway.