Elijah Wood Made Some Shocking Claims About Sex Abuse in Hollywood
Elijah Wood started working in Hollywood when he was just 8 years old, and he's seen a lot of the dark side of the industry. In an interview with London's Sunday Times, he says that child stars in Hollywood often become victims of "vipers" who sexually abuse them.
He said his mother protected him from becoming a victim himself, but he knows he's one of the lucky ones. "From my reading and research, I've been led down dark paths to realize that these things probably are still happening," he said. "[There are] a lot of vipers in this industry, […] there is darkness in the underbelly."
Elijah added that he worries for the child stars of today, because he thinks these abusive situations are still going on. "If you're innocent, you have very little knowledge of the world and you want to succeed, people with parasitic interests will see you as their prey," he said. "What upsets me about these situations is that the victims can't speak as loudly as the people in power."
Lately, former child stars have come out of hiding to talk about the problem of pedophilia. Several years ago, Corey Feldman said he was "surrounded" by child molesters when he got his start. BizParents, an organization that tries to protect child actors, is spreading the word and calling out Hollywood for protecting abusers. "We believe Hollywood is currently sheltering about 100 active abusers," co-founder Anne Henry told the newspaper. "The tsunami of claims has begun. This problem has been endemic in Hollywood for a long time and it's finally coming to light."
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