Gal Gadot apparently would not sign on to the sequel to her box office hit unless Brett Ratner was off the project. Ratner owns the production company RatPac-Dune which helped produce the first film. The first "Wonder Woman" film that grossed $400 million internationally, which allowed the production company to receive significant profits. Ratner has been accused of sexual harassment; stars like Olivia Munn and Natasha Henstridge have made allegations against him.
Ratner has denied the allegations, but Warner Brothers did announce that they severed ties with Ratner due to the allegations. During an interview on the Today Show, Gadot addressed the rumors.
"At the end of the day, a lot has been written about my views and the way that I feel, and everyone knows the way that I feel because I'm not hiding anything, but the truth is, there are so many people making this movie-it's not just me- and they all echoed the same sentiments," said Gadot.
In a movie that has such a strong message of female empowerment, it is no surprise that Gadot held her ground.
The messages of female empowerment have been greatly discussed as of late. The Amazon's were dressed in the new movie "Justice League" with significantly less clothing compared to their first appearance. Many argued that it was due to the male director using "male gaze", rather than depicting actual fighters.
There has been a lot of discussions about sexual harassment and assault in Hollywood. But, this is the first time we are seeing actual change. Harvey Weinstein was removed from his position at the Weinstein company and went into a treatment facility. Stars like Kevin Spacey and Louis CK saw their projects being scrapped. But, where are the charges or at least investigations?
Gal Gadot helped accomplish something that seems like a trend if you can't get charges, hurt their pockets. All of the men accused of sexual harassment or assault have been damaged finically over the allegations. Louis CK saw his film, "I Love You Daddy" scrapped just days before its release date. Kevin Spacey had a film in post-production with Netflix, that they decided to scrap and recast. These instances showcase the reaction to Hollywood allegations.
But what does that say about normal people when they go through similar situations?
If a person accuses someone of sexual harassment or assault, the accused is not going to face monetary damages. The issue with celebrities compared to normal people, is that rumors do not usually hurt someone's career. It is most likely uncommon, but an office worker is not going to instantly be fired over an allegation.
There is no Twitter hashtag that demands them to be fired or a boycott of their products. Rather we need to stand up for those people.