Toh be fair, nobody wants to be called a “peasant s****y”. But that’s exactly how French actress Eva Green referred to crew workers on the broken film set A patriot, according to texts read out in the High Court. Green, known to many as a “Bond girl”. Casino Royalecurrently mid-legal battle over her fee for A patriot, a sci-fi thriller in which she was sent as a soldier. The film was canceled in October 2019, but Green wants her £810,000 the same. White Lantern Movies, A patriotThe production company is taking issue with the actress and she has cited instances where she was “rude” to weaken her case. It’s not surprising, since being “mischievous” is an offense that is often considered much more sinful when it comes to women.
Green apologized for her language and offered her “French” as an explanation for her harsh speech. Meanwhile, her legal representative insisted she had genuine concerns about safety and quality, and the portrayal of Green as a “diva” is being unfairly used to blame her for the film’s downfall, saying to the court: “This case is designed to paint my own. client as a diva to win headlines and damage her reputation.”
Green’s use of his nationality as an excuse for his caustic behavior is a fun news story. But perhaps there is a wider point to be made about the argument she is making: that being perceived as rude could undermine her career. Why is the idea of ”rudeness” taken so much more seriously, and with more damaging consequences, when a woman engages, than it does with a man?
The importance of not being “naughty” is instilled in many girls before they can form their first words. You don’t mind your Ps and Qs, you don’t refuse hugs, and you don’t challenge an adult to say. Often, avoiding the label of “dishonest” means not expressing disagreement, expressing discomfort, or hiding negative feelings to make others feel comfortable. Boys can be taught the same thing, but gender stereotypes give them the freedom to be “boisterous” or brusque without as much pushback. And when they become adults, the result of this double standard is that the word “bad” is applied to women.
To clarify, this is not a piece advocating the right to be horrible to others. In fact, the workplace is a place, an environment full of enforced hierarchies and different power dynamics, where “promise” is highly inappropriate. Disagreements are natural and bad days for the course, but aggressive behavior from a colleague should be challenged. But it is just as important to ensure that women no longer face more severe social consequences for the same behavior.
The establishment of Balthazar in New York may have been banned due to the allegations about James Corden being unfriendly to the restaurant’s staff, but they did not stand in the way of his two Creative Arts Emmys, nor The Late Show the host’s acting gigs and other performances. In 2008, Christian Bale launched into an expletive-fueled tirade at a cast member on set. Terminator Salvation. Three years later, he won his first Academy Award and has since been nominated for three more. Mel Gibson still has a successful career, despite his well-documented years of controversy.
When men are called out for being “dishonest”, their careers remain intact. The same cannot be said across the gender divide. Take Katherine Heigl: despite her popularity in the mid-Noughties, her star began to wane after she withdrew from the Emmys in 2008, wanting a quality Grey’s Anatomy stories about question. The following year, she told David Letterman about the “cruel and mean” 17-hour workdays on the set of the medical drama. This, as well as calling her a part in the comedy 2007 Knock Up “Slightly sexist” led to Heigl being effectively blacklisted from the industry for a decade.
Katherine Heigl was actually blacklisted from the industry for speaking up
(Getty)
In January, Sarah Michelle Gellar said The Independent about how whispers meant she was proud of her work that she was labeled “difficult” in the early stages of her career. “In Hollywood, especially when you’re a young woman and you speak up about things, you get labeled ‘difficult,'” she explained. “But now I wear that with pride, if ‘tough’ means I expect everyone to bring their 100 percent A-game.”
When “rudeness” is attached to Black women, the results can be even more brutal. Racist stereotypes that paint Black women and girls as “naturally aggressive” mean that traits like quietness and shyness are dismissed as inconsequential – never mind when we try to be assertive. After choosing not to participate in certain promotional events for the 2009 film preciousActress and comedian Mo’Nique has claimed she was “blackballed” from the industry after director Lee Daniels told her she wasn’t “playing the game”.
It goes without saying that when someone truly demeans a colleague’s experience, they should be reprimanded proportionately. At the same time, women should have the right to be open about their issues and opinions, without being afraid of being judged if that true justice is misunderstood.
It is impossible to see whether Green’s behavior during her time in the film has an impact on the outcome of the High Court’s decision, but it is overdue to examine why bad manners can be used as a beating for female characters.