Anthony Edwards Says He Was Molested by Producer Gary Goddard as a Child (Update)
“I was molested by Goddard, my best friend was raped by him – and this went on for years,” “ER” star writes
Reid Nakamura | November 10, 2017 @ 10:40 AM
Last Updated: November 10, 2017 @ 9:01 PM
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Update 8:05 p.m. PT:
Actor Anthony Edwards’ allegations that producer Gary Goddard molested him when he was a child were “unequivocally” denied by Goddard’s publicist, Sam Singer, in a statement released Friday night:
I am responding on behalf of producer and writer Gary Goddard to allegations posted and made today by actor Anthony Edwards on the website Medium.
Gary first met Anthony more than 40 years ago. Gary was a mentor, teacher and a friend to Anthony, which makes this story all the more disturbing to him. As to the allegations that Mr. Edwards made in his post today, I can unequivocally deny them on Gary’s behalf.
Gary played an important role in helping start Anthony’s acting career and acted as his personal manager. He has nothing but the greatest respect for Anthony as a person. Gary is saddened by the false allegations.
The post by Anthony, as well as many of the news stories today reference a legal claim made against Gary approximately four years ago regarding sexual harassment. The complaint was demonstrated to be fraudulent as it was completely fabricated, and ultimately withdrawn by the complainant and his attorneys.
Previously:
Actor Anthony Edwards has opened up, saying he was molested as a child by director and producer Gary Goddard. The former “ER” TV star penned an essay published Friday, saying that the entertainment executive abused him and his friends when he was 12 years old.
“I met Goddard when I was 12, and he quickly became a dominant force in my life,” Edwards wrote in a Medium post. “He taught me about the value of acting, respect for friendship, and the importance of studying. Pedophiles prey on the weak.”
Edwards goes on to say that he and his group of friends, who viewed Goddard as a father figure, were all abused. “My vulnerability was exploited,” he wrote. “I was molested by Goddard, my best friend was raped by him – and this went on for years. The group of us, the gang, stayed quiet.”
Edwards wrote that he confronted Goddard as an adult, at which point the older man expressed remorse for his actions.
“He swore to his remorse and said that he had gotten help,” Edwards wrote. “I felt a temporary sense of relief. I say temporary because when Goddard appeared in the press four years ago for alleged sexual abuse, my rage resurfaced.”
In 2014, Goddard was named in a lawsuit by Michael Egan, alongside “X-Men” director Bryan Singer and two other executives, accusing them of sexually abusing him as a teenager. That lawsuit was later dropped.
“Abusers will often use the word ‘love’ to define their horrific actions, which constitutes a total betrayal of trust,” Edwards wrote. “The resulting damage to the emotional development of a child is deep and unforgivable. Only after I was able to separate my experience, process it, and put it in its place could I accept this truth: My abuse may always be with me, but it does not own me.”
Hollywood Hair-Trigger: 11 Films and TV Shows Impacted by Sexual Harassment Accusations (Photos)
The downfall of Harvey Weinstein has created a domino effect across Hollywood, as women are coming forward to expose the sexual harassment in the industry. As producers and celebrities are accused, the films and TV shows they were involved in have also suffered. Here's a running list of the projects that have been delayed, paused, or outright axed as a result of these scandals.
"All The Money In The World": After Kevin Spacey was accused of sexually harassing actor Anthony Rapp as a teenager, among others, Sony pulled the historical drama starring him as J. Paul Getty from AFI Fest and then announced that all of Spacey's scenes would be reshot with Christopher Plummer in the role.
"I Love You Daddy": Louis C.K. wrote, starred in, directed, edited and funded this film about a man whose teenage daughter starts dating a 68-year-old director who is Woody Allen in all but name. But after The New York Times published a story in which five women accused him of harassment, The Orchard canceled the film's premiere and is considering changing the release date after buying it in Toronto for $5 million.
HBO: Louis C.K. was also pulled from HBO's charity special "Night of Too Many Stars" following the scandal, and all of the comedian's work has been pulled from HBO's on-demand service.
"House of Cards": In addition to Rapp's claims against Spacey, members of the crew of his hit Netflix show have come forward with stories of Spacey's misconduct. In response, Netflix first paused production on the show's sixth season, which they later announced would be its last. Then, Netflix severed all ties with Spacey, meaning the show will have to finish filming without him.
"Gore": Netflix's decision to drop Spacey means his biopic about Gore Vidal, which explores the writer's relationship with a younger man, is now without a distributor. The film had completed filming and was in the midst of post-production when Spacey was accused.
Untitled Hugh Hefner Biopic: For years, Brett Ratner has held the rights to make a movie about the life of late Playboy founder Hugh Hefner. But after the LA Times published a story about Ratner's history of harassment, Playboy announced that the biopic was going on hold.
"The Current War": The ongoing Harvey Weinstein scandal has brought his studio, The Weinstein Company, to the verge of bankruptcy. As the remnants of the company fights to stay alive, it has moved all the remaining films on this year's slate to 2018, including a Thomas Edison biopic starring Benedict Cumberbatch.
"Polaroid": The TWC scandal has also affected its genre wing, Dimension Studios, as it pushed this horror film about a camera with deadly powers to 2018 as well.
"Wind River": TWC has even made moves to protect films that have already had their run in theaters. "Wind River," TWC's only box office success this year, has had all trace of the studio's logo scrubbed for the home release.
Amazon David O. Russell Project: The Weinstein Company was supposed to produce a new Amazon series created by "Silver Linings Playbook" director David O. Russell, but after they pulled out of the project in the wake of the Weinstein scandal, Amazon decided not to proceed with the series.
"The Romanoffs": TWC was slated to produce this series from "Mad Men" creator Matthew Weiner, but pulled out after the Weinstein scandal hit. Amazon planned to continue the series, but that may not happen after Weiner was accused of sexual harassment by Kater Gordon, a former assistant of his who was promoted to writer and won an Emmy with him before being shockingly fired a year later.
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From release date changes to full cancellations, Hollywood’s response has become swift
The downfall of Harvey Weinstein has created a domino effect across Hollywood, as women are coming forward to expose the sexual harassment in the industry. As producers and celebrities are accused, the films and TV shows they were involved in have also suffered. Here's a running list of the projects that have been delayed, paused, or outright axed as a result of these scandals.
