Roman Polanski Victim Samantha Geimer Calls Academy Expulsion “Ugly and Cruel”
At least one person is not impressed by the film Academys decision this week to expel Roman Polanski..
At least one person is not impressed by the film Academys decision this week to expel Roman Polanski from its membership: Samantha Geimer, who was 13 when the director sexually assaulted her in 1977.
“It is an ugly and cruel action which serves only appearance,” said Geimer, who is now 55 and a grandmother living in Hawaii. “It does nothing to change the sexist culture in Hollywood today and simply proves that they will eat their own to survive. I say to Roman, good riddance to bad rubbish, the Academy has no true honor, its all just P.R.”
The Academys Board of Governors met on Tuesday night and voted to expel Polanski and Bill Cosby from its membership in accordance with new standards of conduct the organization passed in the wake of the Harvey Weinsteinscandal.
Polanski, who won an Oscar for directing the 2002 drama The Pianist,pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor in 1977 and fled the country after serving 42 days, when it seemed he might be sent back to prison. For years, Geimer has maintained that Polanski served his time in her case, and has called for investigation into what she describes as misconduct and corruption on the part of the Los Angeles District Attorneys office. “The disgusting behavior in the Los Angeles District Attorneys office helped create todays trend of accusations being the same as convictions,” Geimer said.
Polanskis latest film, Based on a True Story, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last year, and was scheduled to be distributed in the U.S. this year by Sony Pictures Classics. Geimer has said that Polanski should be allowed to re-enter the United States and continue to work in the film industry, a position that is increasingly controversial in a post-#MeToo era.
Geimer is skeptical, too, of the Academys motives, and of its decision to expel Cosby and Polanski concurrently. “They could at least expel him on his own, but to tag him onto Cosby, what a bunch of douchebags,” she said.
In a statement released Thursday, the Academy revealed that its board members on Tuesday voted to expel the two men. The organization said it “continues to encourage ethical standards that require members to uphold the Academys values of respect for human dignity.”
Get Vanity Fairs HWD NewsletterSign up for essential industry and award news from Hollywood.Rebecca KeeganRebecca Keegan is a Hollywood Correspondent for Vanity Fair.
