Over the past several weeks, a number of Hollywood’s most powerful men have been exposed as serial sexual predators. The string of scandals began with accusations against Harvey Weinstein that would eventually bring an end to one of the industry’s most esteemed film studios. In the month that followed, allegations against Kevin Spacey , Jeremy Piven, Brett Ratner, Ben Affleck and many more pulled back the curtain on a culture of abuse and misogyny in the movie industry. Most of the accused have feigned shock or issued timid confessions in the wake of being called out for their behavior. Now, actor Alec Baldwin–himself no stranger to allegations of abusive behavior–is attempting to change how Hollywood addresses its ongoing misogyny issues by admitting to mistreating women before he becomes the subject of another scandal. “I certainly have treated women in a very sexist way. I’ve bullied women. I’ve overlooked women. I’ve underestimated women,” Baldwin told Tonight Show announcer Steve Higgins at a Paley Center event on Thursday night. “Not as a rule, [but] from time to time, I’ve done what a lot of men do, which is … when you don’t treat women the same way you treat men.” Baldwin added: “I’m from a generation where you really don’t, and I’d like that to change. I really would like that to change.” Though he’s taken some flak for attributing his behavior to his age, Baldwin has mostly been applauded for his comments. “I think it’s important for us to try to make the workplace and beyond not only comfortable and right and fair and appropriate, but as productive as well,” he explained. “A lot of what we’re dealing with within this issue is hurting our business. It’s making it less productive.” A father of four, Baldwin was widely castigated for an abusive voicemail he left for daughter Ireland in 2007 when she was just 11 years old. Asked if he was aware of abusive behavior from “I knew of certain things, that there were rumors of things happening to people, but I didn’t necessarily know the scope, when you hear the hundreds and hundreds of women who are complaining about this… It’s been a very eye-opening experience for me personally,” Baldwin said last night. “We’ve got to be vigilant in a new way to make sure that everybody is comfortable and that we get the job done together that we’re there to do.” Baldwin did not go into detail about the more shameful behavior of his past, but says that going forward, he will be more conscientious in his interactions with female colleagues.
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Alec Baldwin Admits to "Bullying" Women, Engaging In "Sexist" Behavior
