Can the entertainment industry "cancel" Scott Rudin? Yes they absolutely can

In the wake of the explosive report in The Hollywood Reporter detailing the extensive bullying tactics of super-producer Scott Rudin, many are wondering what impact will the article actually have. Will Scott Rudin be canceled? Is it even possible?

These are reasonable questions to ask. While Hollywood has been inconsistent when it comes to shunning perpetrators of bad acts, the Broadway industry has been abysmal. So it’s more than fair to assume that Rudin will suffer nothing more than just a public relations slap on the wrist.

In truth, both Hollywood and the Broadway industry could do plenty to punish Rudin for his behavior. But would they? Let’s take a look.

The potential first step would be for major trade associations and organizations to boot Rudin from their ranks. The Producers Guild of America (PGA), The Directors Guild of America (DGA), Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Ampas), and Bafta could all revoke Rudin from their membership. This would eliminate Rudin’s projects from being eligible for major awards and make it virtually impossible for him to attract major talents to future films or TV projects.

These organizations have revoked members before. They all removed Harvey Weinstein and some of them have done the same to Bill Cosby and Roman Polanski. While the allegations against Rudin are horrific, they aren’t necessarily crimes, especially since no one pressed any charges. This may make it difficult for these associations to take serious action.

The PGA has the following passage in their constitution regarding removing members,

“Any member of the guild who shall, in the opinion of the national board of directors, be guilty of any act, omission, or conduct which is prejudicial to the welfare of the guild…be censured, fined suspended, expelled from membership or his membership otherwise terminated.”

To me, this passage would certainly call for folks like Weinstein to be removed. But Rudin? It feels more ambiguous and given how litigious Rudin is known to be, the potential issues it could cause the PGA to let him slide.

Another possible step to be taken is for the major unions to prevent their members from working on Rudin projects. Where would Rudin get his big-name talent from if SAG-AFTRA, AEA, IATSE, WGA, AGMA, AFM prevented the hiring of their members? These groups have “DO NOT WORK” lists all the time that feature venues and producers, so it could be done.

If the unions did this, it could create a domino effect for The Broadway League to prevent Rudin productions from being housed in their theatres. I imagine it would be pretty tough. Sorry, I almost choked laughing at the thought of The Broadway League taking action on anything but it’s nice to dream.

At the same time actors, directors, writers, designers, etc, could all simply refuse Rudin to work on productions without union direction. Would Hugh Jackman leaving The Music Man have an impact? Surely. Do producers have a lot of power? Absolutely. But take away the outlets that allow that power to thrive, then you can eliminate said producer’s influence.

Also, major trade publications and theatre media outlets such as Playbill and Broadway.com could place a moratorium on covering Rudin events. Producers thrive on media coverage, if there is none, that would send a message too.

Now is all of this easier said than done? Absolutely. Would doing so create potential legal headaches? Given that this is the same man who threatened to sue community theatres over them performing a different version of “To Kill a Mockingbird”, most likely. Will any boycott or shutdown of Rudin projects impact a good number of jobs? Sadly yes. Will all of this lead to organizations deciding not to take action, hoping it all just goes away? 100%. I’ve sat in meetings where organizations debated punishment for bad acts, thought about the process it would require to do so, and then vote to do nothing except maybe a stern warning. And guess what? The bad behavior continued because the perpetrator knew they got away with it.

But substantial action needs to be taken. Rudin’s behavior is beyond atrocious and the fact that he has gone unchecked for decades is the pure example of how power thrives in Hollywood and on 42nd St. I hope those who can take action, will think seriously about how their involvement and relationships with this man contribute to his success which has allowed him to abuse so many.

The way Harvey Weinstein was eliminated from the Hollywood elite proves it can be done to folks like Scott Rudin. But it shouldn’t take serial rape for organizations to do the bare minimum to take a stand or keep their members safe. I hope they’re listening.