Issa Rae thinks the Ezra Miller scandal is “a microcosm of Hollywood”

Since the #MeToo era began, we’ve seen big plans for Hollywood’s reckoning and a whole lot of disappointment. While some continue to harp about so-called “cancel culture” putting millionaires who admit to sexual misconduct in the New York Times out of work, studios scramble to keep Ezra Miller as the Flash. The problems surrounding these troubled stars who present a clear danger to their co-workers reflect the overarching problem: Not much has changed.

Issa Rae knows this, and in a new interview with Elle, she broke down the problem from the inside out. “It starts with a backbone, Rae said. “While I don’t support people jumping to immediate conclusions, and I think it’s entirely fair for investigations to happen, I think it’s extremely important to, like the mantra says, ‘Listen to women.’”

Despite the bogus concerns that “#MeToo has gone too far,” it’s foolish to believe that Hollywood is anyway an equitable place to work, especially for women of color. And part of that, according to Rae, is an insistence on protecting stars like Miller, a “repeat offender, who’s been behaving atrociously, and as opposed to shutting them down and shutting the production down.” Nevertheless, “there’s an effort to save the movie and them.” This is a “microcosm of Hollywood” to Rae, and it’s preventing the industry from making any legitimate change.

“That is a clear example of the lengths that Hollywood will go to to save itself and to protect offenders,” she said. “So, don’t do that, and women may be able to thrive. They won’t have to live in fear of keeping silent because it’ll ruin their careers. It’s just a constant pattern of abuse that’ll only persist if Hollywood continues to insist on being this way.”

Ezra Miller is an extreme case in a town made up of extreme cases. The allegations against them include abuse, harassment, child endangerment, grooming, brainwashing, acts of violence, and more. Last week, Miller returned to the Warner Bros. lot to do some reshoots for The Flash. Well, we’re sure glad that’s over.