Ex-Congresswoman Katie Hill's former staff criticizes upcoming Blumhouse biopic about "abusive" boss
A new Elisabeth Moss role tends to generate some excitement, but when The Hollywood Reporter broke the news on Tuesday that the Handmaid’s Tale star would be producing and starring in a film adaptation of former California Congresswoman Katie Hill memoir, one group in particular expressed their unhappiness with the decision: Hill’s former staff. What’s more, they took to Hill’s retired office Twitter account to air their grievances.
To summarize: Moss signed on to star as the embattled former congresswoman in a film based on Hill’s memoir, She Will Rise: Becoming a Warrior in the Battle for True Equality. Michael Seitzman and Jason Blum teamed up to jointly produce the film through Maniac Productions and Blumhouse, respectively, alongside Moss’s company Love & Squalor Pictures, with Seitzman penning the screenplay. “[Hill’s] strength and work to amplify women’s voices is incredibly inspiring to me and her experiences could not be more important for us to magnify right now,” Moss said in a statement.
Hill’s former staff didn’t quite agree and took to Twitter using the old professional account, which obviously grabbed a lot of attention. “Katie’s former staff here,” the thread of tweets begins. “Disappointed in so many folks – including Elizabeth Moss, Blumhouse, and Michael Seitzman regarding today’s announcement.” The threaded statement continues:
“No one should have to put themselves in harm’s way for the public to understand a simple truth: Katie Hill is not a hero for women. We deserve heroes who embody our values even in the most difficult moments. Katie Hill was never investigated by the House Ethics Committee, nor has she been held accountable by anyone other than herself. We encourage everyone to reflect deeply before taking her word at face value. .”
There’s no doubt as to why anyone would take an interest in Hill’s story from a cinematic perspective. In 2019, Hill, a bisexual Democrat, was forced to resign in November of 2019 after becoming the subject of a right-wing attack. Nude photos were then leaked to Daily Mail by her ex-husband, which sparked a robust conversation about the legalities of revenge porn. Her ouster was clearly a product of homophobic and misogynistic hatred, which her former staff acknowledged in the tweeted statement while also calling for Moss and company to employ some nuance:
The statement goes on to allege that Hill leveraged her power to abuse member of staff, “many of whom were young women just beginning their careers in politics.” Though they do not reference specific details of how the alleged abuse took shape, they do note that workplace abuse can look a variety of ways and that while Hill is a victim herself, victims can also be perpetrators. “Enough is enough,” the statement concludes. “In order to advance the #MeToo movement, we must be willing to acknowledge the problematic behaviors among those in our own communities. Only then will we see true progress. #TimesUp #MeToo”
Per ABC 7 Eyewitness News, Hill responded to the series of texts from her personal account, stating that the account was “hacked” and that she relinquished control of the government account when she vacated the position: “Thanks to all who let me know my government official twitter account was hacked. Control of my account was immediately handed back to the House Clerk when I resigned, including password changes and access restrictions. God knows who hacked it from there.”