Casting couch
Encyclopedia
The casting couch, casting couch syndrome or casting couch mentality is a term which involves the trading of sexual favors
by an aspirant, apprentice employee, or subordinate to a superior
, in return for entry into an occupation, or for other career advancement within an organization. The term "casting couch" originated in the motion picture industry, with specific reference to couches in the offices of casting agents that could be used for sexual activity between the agents and aspiring actresses.
Male actors may also face sexual propositions. The term is now often used in reference to other industries besides entertainment. Careers which are highly desirable and traditionally difficult to break into, such as the movie
, television
and music
industries have been the subject of casting couch stories in popular culture. Such trading of favors is an abuse of power, and can become a wider sex scandal
if deemed newsworthy.
Asia
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
by an aspirant, apprentice employee, or subordinate to a superior
Superior (hierarchy)
In a hierarchy or tree structure of any kind, a superior is an individual or position at a higher level in the hierarchy than another , and thus closer to the apex. It is often used in business terminology to refer to people who are supervisors and in the military to people who are higher in the...
, in return for entry into an occupation, or for other career advancement within an organization. The term "casting couch" originated in the motion picture industry, with specific reference to couches in the offices of casting agents that could be used for sexual activity between the agents and aspiring actresses.
Male actors may also face sexual propositions. The term is now often used in reference to other industries besides entertainment. Careers which are highly desirable and traditionally difficult to break into, such as the movie
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
industries have been the subject of casting couch stories in popular culture. Such trading of favors is an abuse of power, and can become a wider sex scandal
Sex scandal
A sex scandal is a scandal involving allegations or information about possibly-immoral sexual activities being made public. Sex scandals are often associated with movie stars, politicians, famous athletes or others in the public eye, and become scandals largely because of the prominence of the...
if deemed newsworthy.
Allegations from "casting couch" candidates
United States- In her 1991 book You'll Never Eat Lunch in This Town AgainYou'll Never Eat Lunch in This Town AgainYou'll Never Eat Lunch in This Town Again is an autobiography by Julia Phillips, detailing her career as a film producer and disclosing the power games and debauchery of New Hollywood in the 1970s and 1980s...
, Oscar-winning producer Julia PhillipsJulia PhillipsJulia Phillips was a film producer and author. She is remembered for being the first woman to win an Academy Award as a film's producer, and for a best selling tell-all memoir.-Early life:...
attempted to expose many of the underground Hollywood institutions, and confirmed that "casting couch" mentality was alive and well in Hollywood. - In a 1995 article, journalist Peter Keough described Hollywood as "a town where everyone is selling body and soul for fame and fortune, and all — especially women — are considered commodities".
- In a 1996 interview, actor Woody HarrelsonWoody HarrelsonWoodrow Tracy "Woody" Harrelson is an American actor.Harrelson's breakthrough role came in the television sitcom Cheers as bartender Woody Boyd...
declared "every [acting] business I ever entered into in New York seemed to have a casting couch....I've seen so many people sleep with people they loathe in order to further their ambition." - In a 1997 interview, actress Jenny McCarthyJenny McCarthyJennifer Ann "Jenny" McCarthy is an American model, comedian, actress, author, activist, and game show host. She began her career in 1993 as a nude model for Playboy magazine and was later named their Playmate of the Year. McCarthy then parlayed her Playboy fame into a successful television and...
stated "I was the only girl in my clique who wasn't sleeping with someone to get a job". - At a 2005 class reunion, producer Chris Hanley told his former classmates that "almost every leading actress in all of [his] 24 films has slept with a director or producer or a leading actor to get the part that launched her career".
- In 2009 Megan FoxMegan FoxMegan Denise Fox is an American actress and model. She began her acting career in 2001 with several minor television and film roles, and played a regular role on Hope & Faith. In 2004, she launched her film career with a role in Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen...
stated that leading film directors made sexual propositions while casting for film roles. - Early in her career, it was suggested to Gwyneth PaltrowGwyneth PaltrowGwyneth Kate Paltrow is an American actress and singer. She made her acting debut on stage in 1990 and started appearing in films in 1991. After appearing in several films throughout the decade, Paltrow gained early notice for her work in films such as Se7en and Emma...
that a business meeting end in the bedroom. - Lisa RinnaLisa RinnaLisa Deanna Rinna is an American television host and actress. She is known for her roles as Billie Reed on Days of our Lives, Taylor McBride on Melrose Place, and most recently as the host of SoapNet's Soap Talk.-Acting:...
said a producer asked her for a quickieQuickie (sex)A quickie refers to a brief or spontaneous episode of sexual activity, with the couple finishing it in a very short amount of time.Generally the term presupposes that foreplay is skipped and that at least one of the partners climaxes. A quickie may involve an intercourse or be limited to manual or...
when she was a candidate for a role on a prominent television series.
Asia
- A typical “casting couch” case occurred in India in 2004, when a female actress Ms. Preeti Jain filed a police complaint alleging that film director Mr. Madhur BhandarkarMadhur BhandarkarMadhur Bhandarkar is a National Award-winning Indian film director, script writer, and producer. He is best known for his films such as Chandni Bar , Page 3 , Traffic Signal , and Fashion...
had sexually exploited her for many years and made false promises of casting her in a lead role in his next film. She stated that she was never given any role in any of his films. According to her, Bhandarkar repeatedly had sex with Jain from 1999 to 2004 at Natraj Apartment at Yari Road, Hotel Seaside at Juhu and at Bhandarkar's friend's (Akbar) flat at Mount Mary road, Bandra. - In 2005 India TV's India's Most WantedIndia's Most WantedIndia's Most Wanted is a crime busting fugitive hunter television show in India. It is appreciated by Indian police, especially Delhi police, for helping to catch fugitive criminals. This program has shown live telecasts and programs on fugitives. Crime reports have been publicized and have helped...
, an investigative TV show, caught Indian IdolIndian IdolIndian Idol is an adaptation of the Pop Idol format. It started airing in India with the first season in 2004-2005 and followed that with second , third and fourth seasons...
host Aman VermaAman VermaAman Yatan Verma is a TV show anchor and an actor. He co-hosted with Mini Mathur in the first season of Indian Idol on Sony Entertainment Television and hosted Zee TV's Zee Cinestars.-Career:...
and longtime BollywoodBollywoodBollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
actor Shakti KapoorShakti KapoorShakti Kapoor is an Indian Bollywood actor. He is notably known for playing vulgar comic and villainous roles. He is known for acting alongside comedian Kader Khan as his sidekick along with Asrani in over 100 films.-Early life:...
in a "stingSting operationIn law enforcement, a sting operation is a deceptive operation designed to catch a person committing a crime. A typical sting will have a law-enforcement officer or cooperative member of the public play a role as criminal partner or potential victim and go along with a suspect's actions to gather...
" operation, and accused them of abusing their positions to force women to have sex with them. They even produced video evidence of Kapoor making advances on a planted girl, in which Kapoor tells the girl that superstars Aishwarya RaiAishwarya RaiAishwarya Rai Bachchan is an Indian film actress. She worked as a model before starting her acting career, and ultimately won the Miss World pageant in 1994...
, Rani MukerjiRani MukerjiRani Mukerji is an Indian film actress who works in Hindi movies. In the course of her film career, she has received six Filmfare Awards, among twelve nominations....
and Preity ZintaPreity ZintaPreity Zinta is an Indian film actress. She has appeared in Hindi films of Bollywood, as well as Telugu, Punjabi and English language films. After graduating with a degree in criminal psychology, Zinta made her acting debut in Dil Se in 1998 followed by a role in Soldier the same year...
slept with people such as Subhash GhaiSubhash GhaiSubhash Ghai is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter. His most notable films include Kalicharan ,Karz , Hero , Meri Jung , Karma ,Ram Lakhan ,Saudagar , Khalnayak , Pardes and Taal...
, Yash ChopraYash ChopraYash Raj Chopra is an Indian filmmaker, film director, screenwriter, and a highly successful Bollywood producer. Waqt, Deewar, Kabhi Kabhie, Silsila, Lamhe, Chandni, Darr, Dil To Pagal Hai, and Veer-Zaara are some of his highly popular movies...
and Yash JoharYash JoharYash Johar was an Indian Bollywood film producer. He founded Dharma Productions in 1976 and made Hindi films that were noted for featuring lavish sets and exotic locations, but upheld Indian traditions and family values....
to get where they were. Verma, Kapoor and most of the Bollywood industry have defended themselves, calling India TV's claims unfounded and sensational, and claim that the video footage of Kapoor is misleading. - In 2006 Zhang YuZhang Yu (actress)Zhang Yu is a mainland Chinese film actress. Zhang is the first actress won both of Golden Rooster Award and Hundred Flowers Award for Best Actress, for Romance on Lushan Mountain...
, a Chinese actress, released 20 graphic sex videos that she made herself to document her allegations that she won many of her roles through the casting couch. The videos were released on You Tube but have been subsequently removed. - In 2009 Indian actress Suchitra Krishnamoorthi reported an incident in her blog where she narrowly escaped sexual advances from a producer while casting for a film role.
- In 2009 Korean actress Jang Ja-yeon, star of Boys Over FlowersBoys Over Flowers (TV series)Boys Over Flowers is a South Korean television drama series starring Ku Hye Sun, Lee Min Ho, Kim Hyun Joong of SS501, Kim Bum, Kim Joon of T-Max and Kim So Eun. It premiered on January 5, 2009 on KBS2 and ended on March 31, 2009 after 25 episodes....
, committed suicide and left a suicide note claiming to have been beaten by her agent and to have been forced to have sex with media executives, directors, program directors, and CEOs.
External links
- Pulkeet Aggarwal Assistant Director Casting Couch
- TV Sting Snares Bollywood Baddie Shakti Kapoor from Yahoo!Yahoo!Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
Movies (March 12, 2005) - Known rumours that Darryl F. ZanuckDarryl F. ZanuckDarryl Francis Zanuck was an American producer, writer, actor, director and studio executive who played a major part in the Hollywood studio system as one of its longest survivors...
invented the casting couch The Zanucks: Reel Royalty from CBS News Sunday MorningCBS News Sunday MorningCBS News Sunday Morning is an American television news magazine program created by Robert Northshield and original host Charles Kuralt. The program has aired continuously since January 28, 1979 on the CBS Television Network, airing in the Eastern US on Sunday from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m...
(July 10, 2005) - A selection of contemporary articles regarding the casting couch in the American silent film industry from TaylorologyTaylorologyTaylorology was a fanzine centered on the unsolved 1922 murder of Hollywood silent film director William Desmond Taylor. The editor was Bruce Long, a staff member at Arizona State University....