Hugh Jackman, who will be seen next on Broadway in Meredith Willson's The Music Man, has responded to the latest news about disgraced producer Scott Rudin. Rudin is being accused of "unhinged" and abusive behavior toward his former employees that came to light recently. Rudin has a long list of credits in Hollywood, winning the Oscar for No Country for Old Men and being nominated for The Social Network and The Grand Budapest Hotel. His most successful medium is on Broadway where he has won a whopping 17 Tony Awards for plays and musicals, including The Book of Mormon, Death of a Salesman, and The Humans.
Despite the latest and immediate news, Rudin has had a reputation for eliciting a toxic work environment. Recent reports have revealed that Rudin has allegedly done heinous acts such as throwing objects at assistants, pulling out a chair so an assistant would fall, and smashing a computer on an assistant's hand. Since the allegations, Rudin has announced he would step back from an active leadership position from both his film and stage productions, including the upcoming musical revival The Music Man, which was originally set to open in 2020 before being delayed to the 2021-2022 season due to the pandemic.
Theater reporter Michael Paulson of The New York Times has now made a social media post with a statement from Hugh Jackman about the Rudin allegations. A Tony winner and Oscar nominee, Jackman has also had a long, successful career on the stage and screen, with films like Les Misérables, The Prestige, and Bad Education, and in musicals like Oklahoma! and The Boy from Oz. In Jackman's statement, he commends all who have spoken out and confirms that Rudin is no longer with the show. Jackman's full statement can be read below:
Sutton Foster, who stars alongside Jackman in The Music Man, has also broken her silence on the allegations, stating that Rudin stepping away was "the only positive outcome" for the situation, and others are since following suit. Though Jackman is most well known for his portrayal of Wolverine/Logan in the X-Men film series for almost two decades, he has long been one of the most powerful musical performers on Broadway and has even hosted the Tony Awards four times, winning an Emmy Award for one of them.
Rudin's exit will not affect the production of The Music Man, which will begin previews December 20, 2021 and open February 10, 2022. Rudin's name will also not appear in upcoming A24 productions including The Tragedy of Macbeth, directed by Joel Coen. While the full effect of the allegations against Rudin remains to be seen on the entertainment industry at large, gears are turning towards standing up against abuses of power, and statements such as Jackman's will certainly make a difference.
Source: Michael Paulson
Hugh Jackman Gives Statement On Scott Rudin's Exit From The Music Man - Screen Rant
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