Slater: Hollywood 'age of secrecy' is over

Speaking to Sky News as he stars in Glengarry Glen Ross on London’s West End, Slater admitted he had heard rumours and hearsay about behaviour in Hollywood over the years, but said it needed someone to speak out to bring it to an end.

Addressing recent revelations about abuse of power involving producer Harvey Weinstein, and a number of actors, he said: “The age of secrecy and hiding things is over.

“The abuse of power era, through the circumstances of the last few weeks, we have hit a wall with that.

“Everyone needs to feel safe in the workplace. It is wrong to take advantage of people and make them feel uncomfortable and I want everyone to feel safe and comfortable.”

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Slater also admitted he had heard “rumours” of abusive behaviour in Hollywood.

He said: “Until someone really does speak up and put it out there and get us in the place we are in now, nothing is going to get done because it’s rumours and hearsay.

“I’m glad we are in the place we are at. People do end up becoming complicit in these things, because it becomes the norm.

“People have a hush-hush and a wink and a nod about it, and that is wrong. That has to end.”

Actors at the Hollywood Films Awards have also been speaking about their shock at the revelations, which include claims about Kevin Spacey and Dustin Hoffman.

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Gary Oldman said: “I think a cultural change will happen, and it will happen very quickly.

“I am really deeply saddened and very surprised. I never worked with Kevin, but I had always admired him as an actor.

“I never worked with Harvey, because he was never in my orbit, out of choice. So, yeah, it’s a time to really clean up its [Hollywood’s] act and it will permeate. It will permeate other industries, I think.”

Jake Gyllenhaal said: “Yeah, I would say that I’m pretty shocked, and I would say a little sickened by it.

“But I feel that there seems to be a huge paradigm shift, which is necessary – not only in this business, but all over the world in different industries, and it’s essential and important.”