Eliza Dushku came out in front of the world to talk about the extent of sexual harassment she faced on the sets of CBS’ ‘Bull.’ Dushku stood before a House Judiciary Committee in order to reveal a lot of details about the hardships she went through.
The Virtual Judiciary Committee was titled “Silenced: How Forced Arbitration Keeps Victims of Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment in the Shadow.” The 40-year old star started off by saying she appreciated the opportunity to speak out as “someone who was fired and silenced when I attempted to address it.”
Dushku revealed that she received constant pursuit from CBS for a six-year long commitment to playing a role on ‘Bull.’ They needed someone who could enact “a competent, high-powered lawyer meant to counter balance the existing male lead.”
Michael Weatherly played the male lead alongside Eliza. Then she alleged that she was already getting sexualized while getting “lewd verbal comments,” in her first week. She added that the sexual abuse was near constant. Without naming Weatherly, she revealed that he once told her that he would take her to his “rape” van.
However, in my first week on my new job I found myself the brunt of crude, sexualized and lewd verbal assaults. I suffered near-constant sexual harassment from my co-star. This was beyond anything I had experienced in my 30-year career. Off script, in front of about 100 crew members and cast members, he once said that he would take me to his ‘rape’ van and use lube and long phallic things on me and take me over his knee and spank me like a little girl.
The actress added that none of these things were in the script. Eliza then alleged her co-star of referring to her as “legs,” smelling her and “leeringly look me up and down.” After her co-star’s comments about wanting a threesome with her and saying it in front of about a 100 cast members, even a random crew member had taken to harassing her.
These were not lines in the script. They were incessant and demeaning and directed at me in the middle of what was supposed to be a professional workplace. Then, as I walked off to my coffee break between scenes, a random male crew member sidled up to me at the food service table and whispered, ‘I am with “Bull.” I want to have a threesome with you too, Eliza.
CBS said in a statement a $9.5 million settlement with Eliza that while they’re dedicated to maintaining a safe culture, their work is “far from done.” Weatherly had previously apologized to Eliza for some “jokes mocking some lines in the script.” However, he stayed behind his claim that he wasn’t behind the firing of Eliza.
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