Would you let Harvey Weinstein have anal sex with you if by doing so you could be the next James Bond?
Now, most of you will almost automatically, reflexively, say, no way! But take a moment to think about it.
The next James Bond.
In return for, say, ten minutes of discomfort and disgust, you could have all the women you wanted for the next ten or twenty years, and tens -- if not hundreds -- of millions of dollars. You could support your entire extended family with that kind of money.
Sure, you'd have a bad memory to last a lifetime. But you'd also have hundreds of good memories -- of all the beautiful women you'd get to have sex with if you got the role.
All you single guys: how many women could you realistically expect to sleep with in the next ten years? Let's say, for argument's sake, you're not particularly into long term relationships. So, how many? Five? Ten? Twenty? (No need to be overly optimistic here: let your last ten years guide your estimate.)
If you were known as the actor who played James Bond, women would do their best to seduce you, just so they could boast about it. And that includes a lot of women far better-looking than any you would have had otherwise.
If you turned down this opportunity, you'd be being untrue to your own heterosexuality, given what you'd be sacrificing by saying no to Harvey.
If I'd been given this proposition at age 30, I think my immediate, instinctive reaction would have been, "Never!"
But now, looking back from the vantage point of 63, I'd urge that 30-year-old to say yes. I'd sure as hell do it now. (It'd be gay not to.)
One thing I could promise you -- if I did have that opportunity, and I took advantage of it, I wouldn't be coming forward twenty years later to say that I had been one of Harvey's victims.
No, that secret would die with me.
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36 comments:
You know what I don't understand about this Weinstein fellow? Not once was he knee-capped, no black eyes, no broken nose or arms. Where were the fellows attached to these chicks? Didn't they have any people? Not a single one of them? No friends, brothers, uncles, nephews, nada. Bogles the mind. I mean, they couldn't have all been whores, could they?
Lowly --
Long time no hear from, glad to see you're still here.
Yes, it is a little surprising; when all this stuff first came out, there was a report that Brad Pitt had threatened Weinstein after he made a pass atPitt's girlfriend at the time (Gwyneth Paltrow?). But otherwise, no physical repercussions. I think a lot of these women, if they had steady boyfriends, probably had boyfriends in the business, which meant that they were in awe of Weinstein and didn't want to get on his bad side either.
That said, I think a lot of these women were essentially whores -- just like me, as I said in this post.
Almost everybody who's anybody has had to be a whore somehow, at some point.
You really sold it to me there John.
Ambivalent Misanthrope --
Thank you for coming to my rescue!
(I was certainly a whore while working on Wall Street, though not in the manner described in this post.)
Steven --
When you think in these terms, it makes it easier to be sympathetic to all those actresses who did what they had to to get roles. (Which was basically the point of this post.)
we look at athletes and laud their " i will do what it takes to succeed " mantra. We hear of weight lifting and regimens of training all day. However, we have also read numerous stories about when the landscape gets tough and the athlete fears he/she is slipping, there is a tendency to graduate into steroids. I have to admit- if i were a major league baseball player and the guy down the row in the locker room were hitting 40 home runs making 25 M per year while i was struggling i would be signing up for the steroid program to compete and hopefully excel and keep my job and get a shot at the big bucks. But that supposes I were a major league caliber player and competitor. we underestimate the degree of competitiveness athletes exude until we see athletes like Phelps slap the water after a great race and the like.
now lets look at actresses. they spend days on auditions praying for a break. it is not likely they really aspire to wait on tables while years go by. they see hundreds of beautiful girls auditioning. Do we not imagine these actress to be competitive like athletes and do whatever it takes? all of the movies we have seen could have been created with other actors and actresses.
so yes i am sympathetic to the actresses who "took one for the team". and more impressed with the ones who have kept silent.
Ah, Ambivalent Misanthrope nailed it. To survive in this world very often one ends
up selling one's soul and body to the devil.
The sanctimonious hypocrisy of of Hollywood seems rather trite and hollow.
After sleeping with the devil they want a place in Paradise.
Question "Would you advise your son or daughter to sleep with someone for a ticket to fame and success?
Frankly, I would hate it if my son had to make such a compromise, to be honest I'd rather
not know.
Sherie
Sherie --
Thank you for giving Ambivalent Misanthrope the credit she deserves.
Frankly, looking back at my career on Wall Street, I wasn't enough of a whore.
Dave --
Thanks for that honest reply. I come down on steroids users, but when you phrase it like that, it seems less like cheating and more like doing what you have to to survive. That said, I'm more sympathetic to someone in a sport where a lot of others are doing it already, like cycling or baseball (which may or may not have been cleaned up since the McGwire/Sosa era). But once you put big money on the table, it certainly becomes a lot harder to resist that temptation.
I'm more sympathetic to East African runners who blood dope, though. Those are guys who, in their native country, would be doing well to make a subsistence living, and I do mean, subsistence. If they blood dope, or take EPO, and they rise to the top of the marathoning world, they can make half a million for winning one of the big races, so, for them, there's a huge difference in lifestyle.
More than a few years ago, at my first acting class, the instructor made a pointed statement that all the young ladies in the class, if they really made a go of it, might have to decide if they were willing to put up with the casting couch or doing porn in order to get their start. At the last class I took, not too many years ago, more less the same statement was made but it was directed at the entire class. How the times have changed.
Luke
John - Thankfully I don't want to be the next James Bond. I was more a Patrick McGoohan - Danger Man kind of guy. The 80s porn legend Peter North (when asked if he was gay - which he denied), was subsequently caught doing gay porn as Matt Ramsey. And Peter North did go on to bed plenty of XXX women. Mind you, I do believe he's a sociopath. I understand the exploitative nature of said equation to become James Bond and I am of the opinion the emotional damage wouldn't be worth it - for an individual like myself. I'd hope there would be informal support groups where guys like Brad Pitt come out and say it's just par for the course - and you get a hug and pin to put on your jean jacket. And of course there are plenty of drugs to numb what remains of your soul after you become James Bond.
Luke --
I've heard that there are homosexual producers and directors who basically make the same demands. Which may explain why so many successful actors in Hollywood are apparently gay.
Shaun --
I was just using James Bond as a sort of extreme example, and it makes it more interesting as a hypothetical question. That would be the ultimate acting job, but if I had posed the question, would you let Harvey Weinstein have anal sex with you so you could have a nonspeaking role as the second henchman to the chief bad guy in an obscure B movie, nobody would even consider it. I'm certainly not the James Bond type either, I was just presenting a conundrum. (Frankly, I look more like Dr. No.)
For me, there's the disease factor I can't ignore. I don't want to have sex with a lot of slutty girls, no matter how lovely. I don't like makeup or implants or airheads. I rather not have sex using a condom. So I'd have no temptation to take Weinstein's offer. I m a serial monogamist.
Mark --
Good point. I should have said that in my theoretical question disease was not a factor.
"I don't want to have sex with a lot of slutty girls, no matter how lovely. I don't like makeup or implants or airheads."
Picky, picky.
In the end, when you sell your soul to the devil in order to have X, Y, or B while you're on your earthly journey, it's not worth it. The times that you didn't live up to your preferred standards will haunt you.
- birdie
Birdie --
In all honesty, and speaking only for myself, obviously, I don't think my life bears that out. I can look back and think of things I've done that I'm ashamed of; but I also look back and think, every now and then, and think of occasions where I wish I had sold my soul to the devil.
It's X, Y, or Z. For me, it's not worth it. If something is meant to be, it can happen in your life. You shouldn't have to cheat to reach the goal. This is my take on it. In the end, the fact that you didn't live up to your standards gnaws at you.
- birdie
The problem with selling your soul is that the devil cheats. In these situations, a lot of promises are made but where is the guarantee of the quid pro quo? You perform the disgusting act and then the movie doesn't materialize, or they go with another casting decision, and where are you?
When I as in high school (I grew up in New York) I worked in off-Broadway theaters. I had no interest in show business, it was just an after school job. I remember an assistant director who hit on me. He wasn't physically aggressive but in his approach he led with all the things he could do for me to get me parts in shows. I replied that I'm not an actress, I'm an usher. He just couldn't understand why anyone could be working in a theater and not have star ambitions. He kept offering me entre into acting. I finally told him that the only way he would be of any use to me was if he could get me into veterinary school. When you work in show biz, you think everyone wants in. You lose touch with the fact that most people have other lives.
The funny thing was that the guy wasn't really unattractive, he could easily have gotten young women interested in him without the "I can make you a star" nonsense. He just was a little old for me (early thirties, I was seventeen and had a boyfriend my own age).
LBD --
True enough about the devil cheating; I wonder how many women Harvey did that to.
Well I guess we know why that assistant director went into how biz. It sounds as if he was overestimating his own power though; an assistant director off-Broadway doesn't really have that much casting say-so (as far as I know). You must have been a hot little number for him to keep chasing after you like that.
John, I,was seventeen. Most girls are attractive at seventeen, even the most average of us. What was remarkable was that it was the only tool in his toolbox.
My first year in college my Spanish professor hit on me (late thirties, a bit chubby, somewhat short). I was doing fine in the class so he didn't have the leverage of giving me a good grade, not that it would have mattered to me. I asked him why I would do that, and he waxed poetic about how special girls my age were, at the cusp of womanhood, etc. I replied, "No, I understand why you want to sleep with me, I just don't understand why I would want to sleep with you". WhenI said that. He sort of deflated like a balloon.
LBD --
Ha, a "chubby" guy deflating like a balloon. Nice metaphor.
Sounds like you were quite self-assured at that age. Hope it didn't affect your grade.
Hi John-I would have done it in a heartbeat with rubber. Hey, most people are basically slaves to their career anyway, hate what they do so may as well hate getting f'd up the ass for a few minutes if there's major payday. Why wouldn't I-do I look that stupid? That's not the same as I approve of men abusing women in general, but when you have that much to gain for it you put out and shut up-it's part of nature. This whole thing will turn out worse for women in general because now they will be seen as a liability similar to hiring a black, which is risky. Hope all is well. Brian
Brian --
Appreciate your honesty. Yes, a lot of people have had bosses who've screwed them metaphorically, so what's the diff?
I don't think this will hurt women in Hollywood, female roles will still have to be filled by females. But producers etc. will probably tread more carefully around them now, and it will result in a lot more phoniness just like there is when a certain type of liberal gets around blacks. Maybe that's a good thing, I don't know.
This is a great question, and I think we all know the answer.
There are rumors about practically all male Hollywood stars. Many of them started out as kept boys. One that comes to mind is Mr. Pitt himself:
http://www.thomracina.com/bradpitt.html
I think they did it, but not full on anal.
Willard
Willard --
I heard that same rumor about Brad Pitt, and I remember thinking just a little less of him of him at the time, though now that I've written this post I suppose I can no longer look down my nose at him.
Then again, I was talking the next James Bond, not a one time walk-on role in a soap.
I thought a lot less of him when I read about his being a "pool boy" and still do. (Although I don't think he was doing the full nasty with Thom, I think he was just eye candy and maybe a little messing around. Admit that this is just wishful thinking and it could have been more.)
There are many actors who started out that way, no need to give names.
A general rough rule of thumb is that if they started out with solid stage credentials and went to Hollywood only when invited with a contract (like Paul Newman, Henry Fonda, James Stewart, etc.) that isn't applicable. If they started out in Hollywood, get your gaydar out.
Although there is also a lot of homosexuality in stage actors, the discipline and craft of stage and movies are entirely different. You simply cannot be a lazy cokehead and be a consistent stage actor. They drink a lot, but they know how to function. Movie actors are mostly hopeless, although there are obvious exceptions.
Anon (Willard?) --
Sounds as if you know what you're talking about here.
Makes sense about stage vs. movie actors. I can't quite picture Lindsay Lohan appearing ready, lines memorized, on time, night after night.
That was me, yes.
I'm hoping that this scandal keeps going and going and going and that the country boycotts the next shit-parade known as the Oscars.
They'll probably have to get out Clint Eastwood and the other relatively sane stars to put on the show to save their sorry asses.
Willard
Willard --
I'm sure it will die down after people lose interest the way all scandals do. As far as the Oscars, they're just an orgy of virtue-signaling and self-worship, I think the country IS getting tired of them.
They do need a drastic change. Maybe get Mel Gibson to host?
Reminds me of an old joke: -
Attractive young woman is at an upmarket nightclub, and becomes aware of an obviously middle-eastern man watching her. She catches his eye and he comes over.
He says: "I am a Saudi prince. Would you spend the night with me for a million dollars?"
The woman was stunned but, after just a moment's hesitation, she looked down at the floor and nodded.
"Good" said the man. "Now, would you sleep with me for ten dollars?"
The woman was furious and hissed "What do you think I am?"
The man replied: "We've already established that, now we're just haggling about the price".
That joke is indeed very old. Whenever I hear it, I always in my mind add the appendage, "Yes, and we've already established that you're a john, who can't get sex without paying for it, you're just a cheap john".
LBD --
We all have our price. I once asked this question of a guy I knew on Wall Street. This guy was a sociopath, and also presented himself in a pretty macho way. I said, "How much money would you have to be paid to blow another guy?" He replied, "There's no amount of money in the world that would get me to do that."
I asked, "A hundred thousand dollars," knowing what the answer would be. Sure enough, I got the expected response: "No, no way."
I then asked, "A million?" He replied, somewhat testily, "I already told you, I wouldn't do it."
I then leaned in a little closer and asked, "Ten million?" He didn't say anything, but a smile slowly came over his face. It was actually pretty cool the way he responded. He never said yes, but the smile was a sort of rueful acknowledgment of the fact that any guy who would say he won't do that for ten million would be a liar.
John,
Only you could take a gross topic like faggotry and turn it into a deep philosophical discussion.
I instantly said no, but after further reading, I'm 50/50. The lure of millions and women galore is probably worth it. Some of us have had to be medically probed in that area. I can't imagine this would be much different.
Spartan
Spartan --
"Women galore," well put, given the name of the female lead in Goldfinger.
That was actually one of the things that convinced me. When I was young I thought that if I ever got raped that way I'd feel forever defiled, and somehow diminished. But last year I had prostate cancer, and got probed back there by three different guys and two women. After getting over the initial humiliation, I didn't even think anything of it, had basically forgotten about it an hour later.
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