Mila Kunis has joined the chorus of actresses speaking out against sexism in Hollywood.
In an essay published Wednesday, the “Bad Moms” star shared an incident in which a producer allegedly threatened her when she “refused to pose semi-naked on the cover of a men’s magazine to promote our film.”
“You’ll never work in this town again,” Kunis recalled the unnamed producer telling her, in an essay that ran on her husband’s blog A Plus.
“I was livid, I felt objectified, and for the first time in my career I said ‘no,’” Kunis recalled.
The “Black Swan” star didn’t specify which film she was asked to strip down to promote, though she did go on to note, “The film made a lot of money and I did work in this town again, and again, and again.” So presumably it wasn’t a recent offering.
“What this producer may never realize is that he spoke aloud the exact fear every woman feels when confronted with gender bias in the workplace,” Kunis continued.
The actress went on to opine that it’s a dilemma that many women are confronted with.
“It’s what we are conditioned to believe — that if we speak up, our livelihoods will be threatened; that standing our ground will lead to our demise,” Kunis wrote. “We don’t want to be kicked out of the sandbox for being a ‘bitch.’ So we compromise our integrity for the sake of maintaining the status quo and hope that change is coming.”
She also noted that the alleged threat wasn’t her only experience with indignity in show business.
“Throughout my career, there have been moments when I have been insulted, sidelined, paid less, creatively ignored, and otherwise diminished based on my gender. And always, I tried to give people the benefit of the doubt; maybe they knew more, maybe they had more experience, maybe there was something I was missing,” Kunis wrote. “But the older I got and the longer I worked in this industry, the more I realized that it’s bullsh-t! And, worse, that I was complicit in allowing it to happen.”
The actress did allow that she’s in a relatively fortunate position compared to others facing sexism in the workplace.
She also said that she would use her advantageous position to offer aid and comfort to other women dealing with sexism.
“If this is happening to me, it is happening more aggressively to women everywhere. I am fortunate that I have reached a place that I can stop compromising and stand my ground, without fearing how I will put food on my table,” Kunis said. “I am also fortunate that I have the platform to talk about this experience in the hope of bringing one more voice to the conversation so that women in the workplace feel a little less alone and more able to push back for themselves.”