The New York Times has published an article about the legendary meanness of Hollywood "luminary" Scott Rudin. Talk about too little too late. All the PTSD he's instilled in hapless underlings can never be undone. When I worked at Paramount, Rudin had an office there. I steered very clear of it. At the time EVERYONE knew of his Olympian levels of dickishness. The vibes from the building his office was housed in were not just palpable; they were visible. A sort of ghastly greenish-gray gas hovered over that building (was it the Mae West building? All the buildings at Paramount were named after Hollywood stars and/or executives). I doubt now that there will ever be a Scott Rudin building. As pages on the lot, we were encouraged to spread our wings and seek employment in the other branches of the studio. Someone suggested I seek employment at Rudin's office. I had heard the legends. I already had adjustment problems with the lackey mentality of Hollywood. Even I knew that that was a temptation of fate that was best left untempted.
I suppose it's a good thing that Rudin finally has to answer for some of his past behavior. I suspect that he was mean for meanness' sake. It was a creepy power trip for him, I'm sure: turning people into puppets. He got off on it. And now he's getting old and nobody is immune to the pitfalls of getting old in America. Karma is indeed a bitch, isn't it? I did know someone who worked for him and then didn't work for him. "Kevin"* had been an office assistant. An early version of texting, some of the higher tech phones back in the 90's had text screens. Kevin told me a story that I have never forgotten. Rudin would use the text screens rather than alert people with a phone ring. So, you had to keep your eyes glued to the screens. Rudin, apparently, was heavy into string cheese (at one time a popular food fad). Kevin lost his job when he had the nerve to go to the bathroom. Thus, he missed the message: STRING CHEESE NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I guess in showbiz it really all comes down to the string cheese. What surprises me is that Rudin seems to be caving in. Twenty years ago I'm sure the NYTimes would get the double bird and a hearty FUCK OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!! from Mr. R. Today, he's apologizing and promising he's going to change. I doubt he's going to pay restitution to all the people he abused. Cripes, I have PTSD from just having had to walk past his office. In a way, it's kind of sad. Scott Rudin's office was also a legendary crucible where people who were truly ready to put up with anything Hollywood could throw at them (in many cases, literally) to make it in that business; sought out employment. I don't think even the most masochistic of them expected they'd get what they got. But many of them survived, male and female, with the cajones (and cojones) to scale the scaffold to the top of Mount Lee. And maybe many of those survivors realized that you don't have to be demon-spawn to get things done. I mean, in life, ultimately you really do catch more flies with honey, as opposed to say...string cheese.
I was just looking over Rudin's string of credits. He produced a lot of stuff. Forty years worth. Much of it great; some of it schlock; some of it meh. But all of it top-tier Hollywood. A-list all the way; above and below the line. Broadway too. So now they're trying to put Rudin out to pasture. But all those true Hollywood luminaries (One Degree of Scott Rudin) who willingly worked with him, knowing full well he was a monster. What will they say now? How do they feel? Would I have worked with him if he'd bought one of my scripts? I don't know. I avoided that office like the plague. But that office held the Arkenstone, too...didn't it?
I suppose it's a good thing that Rudin finally has to answer for some of his past behavior. I suspect that he was mean for meanness' sake. It was a creepy power trip for him, I'm sure: turning people into puppets. He got off on it. And now he's getting old and nobody is immune to the pitfalls of getting old in America. Karma is indeed a bitch, isn't it? I did know someone who worked for him and then didn't work for him. "Kevin"* had been an office assistant. An early version of texting, some of the higher tech phones back in the 90's had text screens. Kevin told me a story that I have never forgotten. Rudin would use the text screens rather than alert people with a phone ring. So, you had to keep your eyes glued to the screens. Rudin, apparently, was heavy into string cheese (at one time a popular food fad). Kevin lost his job when he had the nerve to go to the bathroom. Thus, he missed the message: STRING CHEESE NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I guess in showbiz it really all comes down to the string cheese. What surprises me is that Rudin seems to be caving in. Twenty years ago I'm sure the NYTimes would get the double bird and a hearty FUCK OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!! from Mr. R. Today, he's apologizing and promising he's going to change. I doubt he's going to pay restitution to all the people he abused. Cripes, I have PTSD from just having had to walk past his office. In a way, it's kind of sad. Scott Rudin's office was also a legendary crucible where people who were truly ready to put up with anything Hollywood could throw at them (in many cases, literally) to make it in that business; sought out employment. I don't think even the most masochistic of them expected they'd get what they got. But many of them survived, male and female, with the cajones (and cojones) to scale the scaffold to the top of Mount Lee. And maybe many of those survivors realized that you don't have to be demon-spawn to get things done. I mean, in life, ultimately you really do catch more flies with honey, as opposed to say...string cheese.
I was just looking over Rudin's string of credits. He produced a lot of stuff. Forty years worth. Much of it great; some of it schlock; some of it meh. But all of it top-tier Hollywood. A-list all the way; above and below the line. Broadway too. So now they're trying to put Rudin out to pasture. But all those true Hollywood luminaries (One Degree of Scott Rudin) who willingly worked with him, knowing full well he was a monster. What will they say now? How do they feel? Would I have worked with him if he'd bought one of my scripts? I don't know. I avoided that office like the plague. But that office held the Arkenstone, too...didn't it?
*(I just read about the suicide of Rudin's associate Kevin Graham-Caso and his battle with PTSD. The Kevin mentioned in this article was not him. My use of the name was a completely random coincidence. And I see now that I may have minimized the psychological damage Rudin may have done to certain people. Apparently, it's even worse than I thought). 4/30/21
RSS Feed