Matthew Lawrence talks #MeToo movement, says director 'asked me to take my clothes off'

Matthew Lawrence is opening up about a traumatic experience with an Oscar-winning director and where men fit into the #MeToo movement.

Lawrence discussed the incident with his actor brothers, Joey and Andy Lawrence, on a recent episode of their "Brotherly Love" podcast.

He started off the conversation setting the tone for what many know about Hollywood's alleged "casting couch," where men in power take advantage of those wanting to make it big.

"I've been on movie sets where I've heard male producers talk about these girls they've given jobs because of either the way they look, or that they went out to drinks with them," Matthew Lawrence said. "I've been privy to all those conversations. So I know how important actually that was because it is a real thing, the casting couch. We all know it's existed. We've all been somewhat complacent in a way towards it. And I know I have a responsibility for that. And you guys do as well."

Lawrence then brought up Terry Crews, the actor and former NFL player who declared #MeToo in a 16-part Twitter thread in 2017. Crews was one of a handful of high-profile male survivors who stood with the millions of women sharing stories of sexual misconduct.

"Not a lot of guys, in my opinion, have come out and talked about this in the industry," Lawrence said. He then added there have been many times where he's been "propositioned" in order to get a role.

"I've lost my agency, because I went to the hotel room – which I can't believe they would send me to – a very prominent Oscar award-winning director who showed up in his robe, asked me to take my clothes off and said he needed to take Polaroids of me," Lawrence said. "And that if I did X, Y and Z, I would be the next Marvel character. I didn't do that. And my agency fired me because I left this director's room."

USA TODAY has reached out to Lawrence's reps for more information. Lawrence did not name the agency or director.

"I think our society is less ready to hear that situation going on with men than they are with women," Lawrence said, mentioning masculinity expectations for men as a factor.

As Crews wrote in his memoir: "I had grown up and lived my entire adult life with a false idea of what it meant to be tough. I walked around this world with my chest puffed out like I was the alpha male. I saw myself only as strong and powerful. In fact, I was weak and powerless, and everything I did was driven by shame, insecurity and fear."

Contributing: Alia E. Dastagir

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Matthew Lawrence says he lost Marvel role for refusing to pose nude