Tom Hanks Isn't Surprised by Hollywood's Sexual Harassment Scandal

From Country Living

Some people are excited by power, the kind of power that comes from stepping on others, and a lot of those people work in the film industry, according to veteran actor Tom Hanks.

"There are some people who go into this business because they get off on having power. And the times they feel the most powerful, which is why they went into the business, are when they are hitting on somebody who's underneath them, [and] I don't necessarily mean completely sexually," Hanks told the Hollywood Reporter, when asked if the mounting allegations about sexual harassment in Hollywood surprised him.

"There are predators absolutely everywhere," he added.

After a New York Times story covering decades of sexual harassment accusations against producer Harvey Weinstein on Oct.5, dozens more entertainment and media professionals have been accused of similar sexual misconduct, including Kevin Spacey, comedian Louis C.K., Entourage actor Jeremy Piven, news anchor Charlie Rose, and, most recently, Today show co-host Matt Lauer.

Hanks prefaced his comments by saying there are lots of good reasons people get into movie-making too, including many joyful experiences. "You can meet the person you fall in love with, you can laugh your heads off. That's the good stuff," he said.

The Oscar winner envisions a future where every "production office is going to have a code of ethics and behavior" that, if not followed, will result in termination from the job.

"Somebody said, 'Is it too late to change things?' No, it's never too late," said Hanks. "It's never too late to learn new behaviors. And that's a responsibility of anybody who wants to obey a code of professional ethics.

(h/t People)

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