In the wake of the slew of allegations of sexual harassment and assault against former Weinstein Company chief Harvey Weinstein, more and more high-powered figures in Hollywood have been accused of similar behavior. Amazon’s Roy Price resigned from the company after a flare-up of allegations, and Chris Savino, creator of animated show The Loud House, was fired from Nickelodeon after accusations leveled against him. Now, 38 women have come forward to accuse Oscar nominated writer-director James Toback of sexual harassment—most of them going on the record to describe a pattern of encounters that involve Toback allegedly offering parts in his movies, asking them intrusive questions, and inviting them to secluded places to ask for sexual favors.
The women, 31 of whom went on the record, spoke to the Los Angeles Times in separate interviews, detailing their encounters with the director, whose latest film, The Private Life of a Modern Woman, premiered last month at the Venice Film Festival. His opening line, they say, followed the same pattern: “My name’s James Toback. I’m a movie director. Have you ever seen Black and White or Two Girls and a Guy?” He allegedly told women that in order to cast them, he would need to get to know them intimately. The conversation would quickly become sexual, his accusers say.
“In a weird sense, I thought, ‘This is a test of whether I’m a real artist and serious about acting,’” said Starr Rinaldi, who was looking to break into acting when Toback allegedly approached her in Central Park about 15 years ago. “He always wanted me to read for him in a hotel or come back to his apartment, like, ‘How serious are you about your craft?’ And the horrible thing is, whichever road you choose, whether you sleep with him or walk away, you’re still broken. You have been violated.”
Toback’s behavior and reputation as a womanizer had previously been reported on by Spy magazine and, recently, by Gawker. His 1987 film The Pick-Up Artist, starring Robert Downey, Jr., is reportedly semi-autobiographical.
“He told me he’d love nothing more than to masturbate while looking into my eyes,” Louise Post, guitarist and vocalist for rock band Veruca Salt, told the Times. She met Toback in 1987 while attending Barnard College. “Going to his apartment has been the source of shame for the past 30 years, that I allowed myself to be so gullible.”
“It’s a common thread among many women I know … after someone mentions they were sexually abused by a creepy writer-director, the response is, ‘Oh, no. You got Toback-ed,’” said New York drama teacher and playwright Karen Sklaire. “The numbers are staggering.”
“Everyone wants to work, so they put up with it,” actress Echo Dannon said. She had allegedly been propositioned by Toback in his trailer on the set of his movie Black and White. “That’s why I put up with it. Because I was hoping to get another job.”
