Editor’s NoteBY → JD HEYMAN @JDHEYMANgot in the way. For not
taking no for an answer.
Ironically, that last
quality—the thing that
made him a criminal—
also won him admiration
in a town where no
blocks so many dreams.
No—he simply could not
hear it. And it got his
movies made, and it won
them many Oscars.
And yes, it destroyed lives.
I could tell you stories.
Anybody could. But they
pale beside what he got
away with for so long. So
why bring it up now that
he has been vanquished,
it seems, a monster
reduced to a pathetic
shell, using a walker (some
say for sympathy points,
but hey, kids, that’s show-
biz)? It’s because I fear
people have missed what
made him—the most
cartoonish of bad guys—
possible. And what keeps
other, more present-
able ones in business.
He understood that the
essential fuel of Holly-
wood is hunger, and he
knew too well how to
exploit it. And so we must
stay watchful. Our Holly-
wood villains come and
go, but that terrible hun-
ger will be with us always.MAYBE IT’S BECAUSE WE HAVE A MAGNIFICENT AVENGER
on our cover (double Oscar nominee Scarlett Johans-
son, who stars in Black Widow, out May 1), but this
month, I’ve surprised myself by thinking a lot about
justice and Hollywood, a pair of words that have never
enjoyed hanging out. And yet, for at least a moment,
those two total strangers just may be aligned.
I beg your indulgence for a departure from the
usual breezy monthly message, because by the time
you read this (a risk with a monthly, but I’ll go for it),
a once-frighteningly domineering man—like Voldemort,
his name will not be uttered—may be on Rikers Island
or thereabouts, giving at least some of his victims
an ending typically confined to movies. That is rare.
One of the first things you learn in show business is
that most people—even quite good people—habitu-
ally cater to the powerful. Oh, we do love our stories
of Mr. Smiths and Erin Brockoviches and Matildas who
buck the system and stand up to bullies, who put thingsThe Makingof a MonsterJD HEYMANright. But: We also like
to eat. The rent must be
paid. Shows do not cast
themselves. The price of
bravery in Hollywood
is dear. When tyrants are
at their peak, they are
appeased. It’s only when
they begin to lose their
grip that most critics find
the courage to speak.
That’s cold comfort for
those they have crushed.
I’m not here to rehash
this man’s copiously (and
graphically) documented
sins and how he cov-
ered them up. You know
that story well. But I do
think I have a little insight
from watching this fel-
low and others like him, at
the Cannes Film Festival
(where he tended to
stay on yachts), and at
Michael’s, the New York
media hive where he
hosted luncheons for his
many, it must be said,
rather good movies, and
at awards parties where
he, inevitably, was never
far from the latest young
English actress he had
“discovered.” I never knew
anybody who knew he
was a rapist. Then again, I
also never knew anybody
who didn’t regard him
as a revolting bully, albeit
one who could be charm-
ing if he needed to be.
He was famous for his
piggishness, for using his
bearish body to dominate
a room and those whoQUICK BITE DELIGHT EW’s also got its own show on Quibi:
Last Night’s Late Night, hosted by Heather Gardner, is a daily
program highlighting the must-see moments from the previous
evening’s late-night shows. New episodes arrive every weekday
morning starting in April. Download Quibi in the App Store.BONDING
MOMENTS
For fan dives into
the world of 007
and the eerie antics
of the Winchester
brothers, buy EW
The Ultimate
Guide to James
Bond (on sale
March 27) and EW
The Ultimate Guide
to Super natural
(on sale March 6).
Both are available
wherever maga-
zines are sold.4 APRIL 2020 EW ● COM FOLLOW US ON: @EntertainmentWeekly @EntertainmentWeekly @EW @EWSnapsPHOTOGRAPH BY BEAU GREALYAPRIL2020.EDNOTE.LO A.indd 4 FINAL 3/3/20 10:42 AM