Most of Hollywood has been relatively forthcoming on their stances of condemning those accused of sexual misconduct, such as Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey. Bryan Cranston, however, is making news for a different take on the whole situation.
Cranston, during an interview with BBC, said that we should be open to the idea of giving them a second chance.
“If they were to show us that they put the work in and were truly sorry and making amends and not defending their actions but asking for forgiveness then maybe, down the road, there is room for that,” Cranston said in the interview. “Maybe so. Then it would be up to us to determine, case by case, whether or not this person deserves a second chance.”
He went on: “And I think in the face of it, we should let that open. We shouldn’t close it off and say, ‘To hell with him, rot, and go away from us for the rest of your life.’ Let’s not do that. Let’s be bigger than that. Let’s leave it open for the few who can make it through the gauntlet of trouble and who have reclaimed their life and their dignity and their respect for others. Maybe it’s possible.”
Yikes. Sorry Bryan Cranston, but no. Now is not the time to preach about welcoming Weinstein and Spacey back into the community, after the reports of their victims have been so troubling to read about. We don’t have to feel bad about not letting them back into an industry that they took so much advantage of in such a disgusting way — especially when Weinstein and Spacey have yet to confirm any of the allegations and, according to AV Club, Weinstein has been sleeping through therapy sessions and blaming it on conspiracies.
Somewhat baffling is the fact that Cranston, just recently, made headlines for declaring Spacey’s career was over when the news first broke. “His career is over…he’s not a very good person,” Cranston said via Entertainment Weekly.
Cranston also applauded all of the actresses who stepped forward with their allegations, bringing the issues of sexual harassment into light. “It’s a societal problem,” he said via Rolling Stone. “That’s what’s so great about it being exposed.”
So why he would then say these comments about Weinstein and Spacey, we have no idea. We, however, do not share the same mindset as him. Get them out and keep them out.