‘Jane The Virgin’ Actor Justin Baldoni Says A Producer Sexually Harassed Him
Justin Baldoni is rallying for women’s advancement in Hollywood, and in an interview with Glamour at the TedWomen conference, he opened up about his own experience with sexual harassment.
“When I was 21 or so, I was very new in the business,” he said. “A girlfriend at the time had gotten me a spa certificate… I remember there were hot tubs and steam rooms and all kinds of stuff, and it’s kind of fancier people, wealthier guys. I went and jumped in the hot tub and I saw a guy kind of look over.”
“I saw him look over at me, jump out of the other hot tub, and jump in with me, and he said, ‘Oh what do you do? And I said, ‘Oh I’m an actor,’ and he explained, “Oh I’m a producer,’ and he started talking about all of the movies he’s done and all the people he knows. He’s friends with Clooney, Cheadle, and this person and this person, and he slowly started to try to get me to take off my pants because I had my bathing suit on and he was naked.”
“I’ve also experienced [harassment] as a man from women of power,” he continued. “I’ve had my ass grabbed multiple times by powerful women.”
Baldoni also admitted that he’s been on the giving end of inappropriate conduct toward women: “I guarantee at some point in my life there is a woman or two that I in some way made uncomfortable by saying something or doing something that was chauvinistic or sexist….and all I can do is say, ‘I’m sorry, I was naive, I was young, I screwed up, and I’ll try to do better.’”