Marvel’s Runaways actor Kip Pardue is the latest actor to be accused of sexual assault. On the show, Pardue plays the character of Frank Dean, who was a former member of PRIDE and movie star, before becoming affiliated with the Church of Gibborim. Pardue has also appeared in films such as the biopic Remember the Titans and Driven starring Sylvester Stallone.
Reports of sexual assault in Hollywood have become a frequent occurrence after many actresses started speaking out against Harvey Weinstein in 2017. In fact, over 20 actresses have accused Weinstein of sexual assault in the past year. While Weinstein isn’t the first Hollywood figure to be accused and convicted of allegations (like Bill Cosby and Roman Polanski), there has recently been an alarming number of women who have spoken out against their attackers since the Weinstein scandal. The cases of sexual assault in Hollywood are truly disturbing and have led to the Me Too and Time’s Up movements, which inspired victims of sexual assault to speak out against their assailants. Now, Pardue is the most recent actor to be accused of the crime.
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According to the Los Angeles Times, actress Sarah Scott accused Pardue of sexual misconduct while filming the pilot for Mogulettes. The actress claims that during a sex scene for the show, Pardue placed her hand on his penis and then masturbated in front of her in his dressing room. When Scott asked Pardue what he was doing, he allegedly responded, “This isn’t a #MeToo thing. I’m not your employer. It’s not like I can fire you”. After the LA Times reached out to Pardue for a statement, he apologized for making Scott touch his groin, but denied her other allegations by stating, “I clearly misread the situation during a sex scene on set and have apologized to Sarah. I never intended to offend her in any way and deeply regret my actions and have learned from my behavior“.
While her accusations are troubling to say the least, the actress claims that the incident took place just months after other sexual assault allegations started to flood the media. Several successful actors have been accused of sexual misconduct including Kevin Spacey, James Franco, and Louis C.K. There have been so many devastating allegations coming from Hollywood alone, that the Weinstein Scandal is becoming a movie. While reports like Scott’s have continued to surface in recent months, there has been some progress made on the issue.
The Me Too and Time’s Up movements have continued to generate steam. Actresses such as Rebecca Hall have even donated their paychecks to the Time’s Up Initiative fund after working on films that were associated with people who were accused of sexual misconduct. Likewise, Wonder Woman 1984 will be the first film to adopt the PGA’s Anti-Sexual Harassment Guidelines. While Hollywood appears to be making progress when it comes to sexual misconduct, claims like Scott’s are none the less disturbing.
