Actress Abigail Breslin said a lawsuit was filed against her after she reported a male co-star’s “unprofessional behavior,” adding that she was deemed “hysterical” and told her “fears were figments of my imagination.”
“When did the word woman become synonymous with scapegoat?” Breslin asked at the beginning of her lengthy statement posted to social media. “As I see the news each day, I realize this is the world we seem to live in.”
“In light of recent events regarding the attempt to destroy the career and livelihood of a fellow actress and woman, I have felt compelled to write this, as I have unfortunately been subject to the same toxic masculinity throughout my life,” the Little Miss Sunshine star continued.
Breslin went on to say, “In my recent career, I’ve brought forward concerns about a male colleague and was deemed ‘hysterical.’ I was told my fears were figments of my imagination. Now, as I’m seeing this pattern pop up more, I realize this is the norm.”
The actress said the #MeToo movement that sparked in 2017 had given her “hope in change,” adding, “There seemed to be an uprising, a new wave of recognition for those who had been abused, degraded, slandered, silenced.”
Breslin claimed that while the #MeToo movement “was loud” and burned bright “like a firework,” but that “when the smoke in the sky clears and the ashes and debris are swept away” the movement ended with the general understanding that “we are still just noisy women.”
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The #MeToo movement was just “a pat on the head, a consolation prize accompanied by an eye roll as if we were just all constantly complaining that the gas station didn’t sell our preferred brands of tampons,” the Definitely, Maybe star claimed.
Breslin then recalled a lawsuit — which she noted was later withdrawn — being filed against her by a former employer after she made a “complaint against a coworker for unprofessional behavior.”
“I had the silly and naive impression they would believe me,” she said. “Instead of being believed and protected, a suit was filed against me for having the audacity to speak up.”
“The experience left me with a lot of questions, of the professionals in my industry, of the public, and of men,” Breslin said.
The Signs actress went on to argue that men “always” have the luxury of being “innocent until proven guilty,” while women have “the opposite” experience, and are told to “prove your pain.”
“This MUST change,” Breslin demanded, claiming that “men are usually believed because so many ‘bosses’ are men.”
“Do you know how it feels to be treated as a second rate citizen solely because we don’t have an appendage we can stick into anything we feel we own the right to?” the actress asked. “And yet… you need us. You can’t charge your phone without an outlet, right?”
Breslin then dove into another metaphor, adding, “Is that all we are? Outlets? Something you can take your anger and vitriol and push that into us and onto us?”
“Do you have a sister? Do you have a daughter? Do you have a mother?” Breslin asked, before claiming, “And so here we find ourselves again, in a vicious cycle of crucifying another woman for speaking out against a man.”
“How can a man do anything but lie when he is consistently told his deceptions are gospel?” the actress continued, concluding, “To change the narrative, we do not need more women to scream. We just need a lot more men to shut up and listen.”
While Breslin did not name the co-star or project she was referring to in her statement, the actress was at the center of a lawsuit in November 2023, which involved the production of the 2024 film “Classified,” according to a report by Variety.
In the lawsuit, film producers reportedly claimed that Breslin’s “hysterical” and “imaginary” allegations against co-star Aaron Eckhart threatened the film’s release.
The entire film production was “almost ground to a halt” when the actress accused Eckhart of “aggressive, demeaning and unprofessional” behavior on set,” the suit stated.
Breslin, meanwhile, had claimed that Eckhart’s behavior “placed her at various times in peril,” and refused to be alone with him in multiple scenes.
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
