Scott Rudin, a powerful Broadway producer facing renewed
accusations of bullying, apologized Saturday for “troubling interactions with
colleagues” and said he would step aside from “active participation” in his
current shows.
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Rudin, who has won a raft of awards for prestige productions
not only onstage but also in Hollywood, was facing renewed scrutiny over a long
history of tyrannical behavior toward workers in his office following a recent
article in
The Hollywood Reporter. He made his apology in a written statement
first given to
The Washington Post.
“After a period of reflection, I’ve made the decision to
step back from active participation on our Broadway productions, effective
immediately,” he said in the statement.
Rudin, a prolific producer of starry plays whose biggest
Broadway success is the long-running musical “The Book of Mormon,” acknowledged
the concerns about his behavior, without detail. Through a spokesperson, he
declined a request for an interview.
“Much has been written about my history of troubling
interactions with colleagues, and I am profoundly sorry for the pain my behavior
caused to individuals, directly and indirectly,” he said in the statement. “I
am now taking steps that I should have taken years ago to address this
behavior.”
Rudin has been dogged for decades by reports that he
threatened, verbally abused, and threw objects at people who work in his
office. The Hollywood Reporter article described an assistant who said Rudin
had thrown a baked potato at his head and an earlier incident in which Rudin
allegedly smashed a computer monitor on a different assistant’s hand.
Over the last week, some performers had begun to publicly
express concerns about his dominant role in the industry. When Karen Olivo, a
Tony-nominated star of “Moulin Rouge! The Musical,” which was not produced by
Rudin, announced a plan last week not to return to that show when performances
resume, Olivo called on others to speak up, saying, “The silence about Scott
Rudin: unacceptable.”
Rudin is known as a detail-oriented producer involved with
every aspect of the shows he produces, and his statement Saturday did not
explain what stepping back from active participation means.
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