Melissa Gilbert & Melora Hardin Humiliating, Horrid And Gross Experience Auditioning For Oliver Stone
Actress Melissa Gilbert revealed on Andy Cohen’s satellite radio show on Monday how she was sexually harassed by the director while auditioning for his 1991 film The Doors.
The 53-year-old actress, best known for her role on the long-running television series Little House on the Prairie, said the ‘humiliating and horrid incident’ happened when she was auditioning for the role of Pamela Courson, girlfriend of Doors frontman Jim Morrison.
‘I had auditioned and then he said I have written this special scene for you, I’d like you to do it with the actor, I want to see the chemistry with the two of you.
‘And the whole scene was just my character on her hands and knees saying, “Do me, baby”‘ Gilbert recalled.
While actors usually only read lines in auditions, Gilbert says that Stone wanted her to physically act out the compromising scene.
Gilbert refused and left the casting room in tears. The part eventually went to Meg Ryan.
Critically-acclaimed director Oliver Stone has been accused by yet another woman of sexual harassment.
Actress Melissa Gilbert revealed on Andy Cohen’s satellite radio show on Monday how she was sexually harassed by the director while auditioning for his 1991 film The Doors.
The 53-year-old actress, best known for her role on the long-running television series Little House on the Prairie, said the ‘humiliating and horrid incident’ happened when she was auditioning for the role of Pamela Courson, girlfriend of Doors frontman Jim Morrison.
‘I had auditioned and then he said I have written this special scene for you, I’d like you to do it with the actor, I want to see the chemistry with the two of you.
‘And the whole scene was just my character on her hands and knees saying, “Do me, baby”‘ Gilbert recalled.
While actors usually only read lines in auditions, Gilbert says that Stone wanted her to physically act out the compromising scene.
Gilbert refused and left the casting room in tears. The part eventually went to Meg Ryan.
‘It was humiliating and horrid and he got me…it hurt,’ she said.
Gilbert believes the audition was revenge for embarrassing Stone at a club some time before that.
‘He was ragging on televisionā¦ he was telling everyone how television was c**p and heād never do it,’ she recalled.
‘And then all these girls came running up to me because they had seen me on Little House on the Prairie. And they left and he was dumbfounded, and I said, “You see, a**hole? Thatās television!” And I guess he never forgot it,’ she said.
At first, Gilbert seemed reluctant to name her harasser, but halfway-through telling the story she said, ‘Oh f*** it, it was Oliver Stone, and it was “The Doors.”‘
DailyMail.com reached out to Stone for comment but did not immediately receive a response Monday afternoon.
This isn’t the first sexual harassment allegation that the director has been hit with.
Last month, after Stone issued a statement in support of Harvey Weinstein, a Playboy playmate accused Stone of once honking her breasts ‘like a horn’.
Actress Patricia Arquette also said that Stone tried to audition her for a movie that was ‘very sexual’. After a ‘very professional’ meeting, she said that he sent her ‘long stem jungle roses’ and invited her to a screening of his film Natural Born Killers.
Arquette said she found his behavior ‘weird’ so she decided to bring her boyfriend to the film screening with her, and Stone was visibly displeased.
‘Oliver stopped me coming out of the bathroom. He said āWhy did you bring him?ā I said “Why is it a problem I brought him? It shouldnāt be a problem. Think about THAT Oliver,”‘ she tweeted about the incident. ‘Anyway never heard about the movie again & didnāt care to.’
Melissa Gilbert
Melora Hardin
Oliver Stone denies he sexually harassed Melissa Gilbert during audition
Oliver Stone has responded to claims made by Melissa Gilbert that the Oscar-winning filmmaker sexually harassed her during an audition for The Doors.
āWe auditioned dozens of actors for roles in The Doors and it was made clear from the outset that our film was going to be a raunchy, no-holds-barred rock ānā roll movie,ā Stone said in a statement to THR. āAnyone auditioning was told the scenes would be rehearsed and performed from a script, with my casting director, Risa Bramon Garcia, present throughout the process to ensure a safe environment for all actors who auditioned.ā
Garcia echoed these sentiments in her own statement, saying, āEvery actor who auditioned came in voluntarily and was aware of the provocative material prior to engaging in their scenes. No actor was forced or expected to do anything that might have been uncomfortable, and most actors embraced the challenge, recognizing Oliver Stoneās vision and the creative process. In my experience, there was no attempt to personally offend any particular actor. I always have and still do go out of my way to create a safe and creative space for actors in the audition room. It was no different on The Doors.ā
Stone has already come under fire this fall for refusing to condemn Harvey Weinstein in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations against the disgraced movie mogul. He later clarified the remarks. āIāve been traveling for the last couple of days and wasnāt aware of all the women who came out to support the original story in the New York Times,ā Stone wrote on Facebook. āAfter looking at what has been reported in many publications over the last couple of days, Iām appalled and commend the courage of the women whoāve stepped forward to report sexual abuse or rape. Iāll, therefore, recuse myself from the Guantanamo series as long as the Weinstein Company is involved.ā
This is the second time the audition process for Stoneās The Doors has come under fire. In October, actress Caitlin OāHeaney claimed Val Kilmer hit her ā an allegation Garcia denied. āIt was way blown out of proportion,ā she said. āI am not somebody who takes this stuff lightly. I can tell the difference between something thatās abusive and a moment that got carried away ā¦ but it was all in the context of the work. [OāHeaney had] a very extreme reaction to a situation that to me was not extreme at all.ā
My worst moment : Melora Hardin
Cool under pressure and dressed to the nines, Melora Hardinās magazine editor on Freeformās āThe Bold Typeā puts a human face on high-powered but unknowable figures such as Anna Wintour of Vogue.
As Jacqueline, Hardinās editor in chief knows who she is and what she values. Sheās willing to push her young charges to up their game, while remaining serenely confident when her authority is challenged from outside forces.
Itās a character worlds away from the perpetually annoyed Jan Levinson, the boss she played on āThe Officeā for so many years.
āI think I am kind of a natural leader, I think thatās something thatās true about me,ā Hardin said of being cast in these roles. āI think that Jacqueline is probably closer to me than Jan was, in the sense that I think I work pretty hard to be grounded and a more evolved person ā Jan had fewer resources at her fingertips in Scranton, Pa., trying to climb that ladder in a manās world. And she had all those knuckleheads around her too.ā
When asked to recall a worst moment for this column, it was an experience auditioning for a certain well-known director that came to mind ā and Hardin got to have the last word.
My worst moment ā¦
āI read for Oliver Stone for āWall Streetā when I was 18 or something, I was really young. It was the role that went to Daryl Hannah, so it was a significant role. I walked in, he looked at me, told me to start ā and then he spent the entire time flipping through other peopleās photos. He didnāt even look at me. And I remember thinking, āWhatās the point? Why am I even here?ā He had already made up his mind before I even started reading.
āI actually auditioned for him again for āThe Doors,ā which was also humiliating, because the way he conducted it was really gross. It was the role that Meg Ryan ultimately ended up doing (as Jim Morrisonās girlfriend) and the audition was for an orgasm scene. It was this whole sex scene in the bed where theyāre high and I was like, āReally? Out of all the scenes, this is the one that youāre going to have women do for an audition?ā
āSo I really went for it, full of ecstasy. And I remember him saying, āYeah, that was good. Sit down, letās talk about this.ā And then he directed everything to the guy (who was reading Morrisonās lines), talking to him about his purpose and his motivation and didnāt say anything to me. And then he wanted us to do it again. They already knew that they were going to cast Val Kilmer, so this guy was like a reader-actor guy who Iām sure was thrilled to just be in the room. But it all just felt disrespectful.
āMany years later, I saw (Stone) at a party. Heās friends with a friend of mine and it was a quiet, small party, it wasnāt like a big Hollywood party. And when she introduced me to him, he said, āOh, I donāt think weāve met.ā And I said, āWe have met.ā And he said, āOh. Was I nice to you or was I an a——?ā And I go, āYou were a total a——.ā And he blushed and he goes, āOh. Oh, Iām sorry.ā And I said, āYou should be. You were a total a——. Both times.ā
Did Hardin debate whether to answer Stoneās question honestly?
āI just personally donāt think you can ever make moves from fear or shame. You gotta be straightforward. And he was really, really quite rude both times. And in fact, not only rude ā that audition for āThe Doorsā was really gross.
āI just think heās so checked out. Heās a jerk. And he should know heās a jerk. Every single person I know whoās read for him thinks heās a jerk! I just donāt think itās OK to be such a jerk, I just donāt.
āSo yeah, I spoke up. I was already further along in my career at that point and I always kind of regretted that I wasnāt able to say that to him when I was (auditioning) in the room. You know, slam my fists on the desk and say, āYouāre being really rude! Iām trying to do a reading for you. If youāre totally disinterested in me and youāve already made up your mind, Iām just going to leave.ā I always wished I had been able to do that.
āAnd thatās one of the things that I love about Jacqueline (on āThe Bold Typeā) because she does those things in the moment. Sometimes in real life, you canāt process things quite as quickly as your characters can, thatās the genius of having writers that are working on these great perfect moments for your character ā you canāt always do that for yourself.
āWhen you walk into an audition, youāre there to do a job. And the job is to do the scene the best you can. Thatās your job ā and their job is to assess whether this is the person they want to play this character. And thatās the deal you make when you walk into an audition room. And when they donāt do their part, youāre kind of flummoxed and a little bit shocked and you do get thrown for a loop.ā
Did she have any concerns he might try to blackball her afterward?
āOh God, no! Iāve been in the business since I was 6 years old. I did, like, every guest starring part on every show you could think of from the ā70s, like āPolice Storyā and āQuincyā and āThe Love Boatā and all that stuff. And my point in bringing that up is, I have a lot of confidence about the way that Iām perceived. Iāve been in this business so long ā if you want to call anybody in this town and ask, āWhatās Melora Hardin like to work with?ā thereās nobody thatās going to tell you that Iām a pain in the (rear) and that Iām a (jerk), because Iām just not, you know?
āSo I wasnāt fearful about confronting Oliver Stone at a party. If he hadnāt asked me that question, I canāt say for sure if I would have said anything. But he asked it outright. And it would have been a lie to say, āYou were great!ā And Iām not a liar. (Laughs) I may be some things but Iām not that! And he was kind of saying it in a flirtatious way, too. I donāt know what he thought I was going to say! But I was like, āDude, you were a total jerk in every way.ā
āThis is the thing: He wasnāt mad and he wasnāt upset that he was an a——. He knew he was an a——, thatās why he asked the question! So it wasnāt awkward between us. He just said, āOh God, Iām sorry! I need to work on that.ā And that was it, the party continued. I was a grown woman at this point, I wasnāt a newbie in the business. Also, I donāt hold a grudge.ā
Would she audition for Stone again?
āYeah, Iād go! If it was a part I wanted, of course Iād go! Because he makes good movies. (Laughs) I would totally go. And I would walk in the room and go, āHey, remember I met you at our friendās house and you asked me if you were nice or an a—— and I told you you were an a——? OK great, now Iām going to do this scene for you.ā (Laughs)
āBut also, Iām in a different place than I was when I was 18. Iām a 50-year-old woman now and I have a lot of experience behind me and you canāt do that to me anymore ā because if you do, Iām walking out. I donāt mind difficult people or people who are eccentrics ā I like creative people and Iām OK with that, if thereās a way for me to work with them. And if thereās not, Iām totally fine not working with them. Iām totally fine just going, āIām out!ā Iāve gotten to where Iām really good with that!
āAs Iāve gotten older and with maturity, Iāve realized that if you think somethingās happening, chances are it is happening. So if you think someoneās a jerk, they probably are a jerk. If someone is coming at me with something thatās feeling weird, then somethingās weird. And I donāt even have to know what it is or get inside it, as I used to as a young woman. I used to have to figure it out. And now Iām like, āNah.ā Because I know how I am with people. If someone is a jerk, theyāre a jerk. If they seem like theyāre shut down, theyāre shut down. If they seem like a bully, theyāre a bully. And I donāt really have the time or the bandwidth to spend time on those people.
āSo Iād walk into the room with Oliver Stone and see where he is now. Because everyone should have the opportunity to change and show up differently for you. If he shows up differently for me, then I want to be available to that. Maybe it would totally different. And maybe it would be exactly the same. And Iām open to either of those options.ā
The takeaway ā¦
āStand up for yourself. Itās OK to say, āHey dude, Iām here to do a job for you ā if you donāt want it, I can leave!ā Iāve got a lot going on! I can go home and clean my freaking house! (Laughs) I donāt need to be standing in front of you wasting my time.ā