We see what happens on TV all the time, but what happens behind the scenes? The entertainment industry is huge, which makes it very easy for terrible things to happen that go unheard of.
Hollywood puts emphasis on their thoughts about the safety and security of their actors/actresses on set. Unfortunately, bad things happen on set even when the industry tries there hardest to push what happened under the rug.
Film and video games have both caused an uptake in children’s consumption of gun violence. When a child is exposed to a gun on TV it creates an interest within them about using guns, but does not address what the consequences of using guns are. As a way to honor those who lost their lives due to gun violence and to properly address proper gun usage, Hollywood could make a documentary or film talking about a mass shooting.
Although that may be a nice thought, this creates a worse problem by showing additional (and in this case real) gun violence. Also, tragic events cause people to talk more, which further creates more media for child consumption.
Guns are not the only danger on a movie set. The set of the original Wizard of Oz comes to mind immediately. Actress Judy Garland, received a serious amount of harassment and was exposed to toxic chemicals. The other actors/actresses in the film also were exposed to harmful chemicals that left some with permit damage. Buddy Ebsen, the actor who was going to play The Tin Man, was poisoned and ended up in an oxygen tank after an allergic reaction to the aluminum powder. This is just two of the many health and safety risks that happened on the set of this very famous movie.
An overlooked portion of Hollywood is the abuse of child actors. The release of Quiet on Set brought this issue to light. The documentary focused on ex-child actors that worked at Nickelodeon. It exposed the channel for abusive ways of how they treated the child stars that worked on the channel. Child Star Jared “Drake” Bell spoke out about how a dialogue coach for Nickelodeon sexually assaulted him. When the case was taken to court, producers and directors for the channel supported his abuser.
Hollywood covers up their actions, so it is vital to keep a close eye on them.
The worst part of Hollywood is the glorification of violence. A recent movie release, It Ends with Us, based on the book written by Colleen Hoover, has received serious backlash from the media for the glorification of domestic violence. The factor that upsets most people is that both the book and the movie have been also classified as a romance novel. When mixing a triggering topic with the addition of romance, this can take a serious issue and make it seem light or not a problem.
As a society, it is our job to hold directors and producers accountable for their actions. Stories can be told, but the collateral damage should always be considered and addressed.
