The late director Ivan Reitman allegedly improperly grabbed actress Anna Faris when they were filming the romantic comedy My Super Ex-Girlfriend in 2006.
The actress revealed on her podcast Unqualified that Reitman “slapped my ass” while filming and “yelled” at her on her first day, leaving her feeling “angry, hurt, and embarrassed.”
Faris said this during an open discussion with actor and director Lena Dunham: “One of my roughest film experiences was with Ivan Reitman. He was a yeller who attempted to make light of the horror by making a joke. He would bring someone to justice every day. and on my first day, I was there.
The Mom and Overboard actress admitted that she had to hold back tears during her tense first encounter with Reitman when she was tardy to set due to an accident during a wide-ranging talk about various behaviors on production.
I don’t think you’re the only person who’s reported it, Dunham replied in response to Faris’s assertion that Reitman slapped her behind. I’m sorry you had to experience that. And did no one intervene to object?
“No. Faris replies, “It was like 2006.”
Although the actress has previously disclosed the incident, she has not yet shared the director’s identity. The actress spoke about the event back in 2017, in the early days of the #MeToo movement, saying:
He smacked my a- so hard in front of the crew as I was filming a sequence in which I was on a ladder and was meant to be removing books off a shelf. I was just able to laugh, though.
Faris claimed that because she was unsure of how to respond, she used comedy as a coping method.
What, exactly, will you do about it, I ask? I can still imagine the crew members questioning one another. That seemed strange. And I did disregard it in that manner. Well, this isn’t a thing, I thought. It’s not a huge thing, you know. Be strong, Faris. I mean, just chuckle. However, it made me feel inferior. He wouldn’t have acted that way in the eyes of the lead guy.
The actress also said that the director informed her agent that she was chosen for the role because of her “beautiful legs” at the same time.
I recall the same director telling my agent, who then informed me, that one of the reasons I was recruited was because of my wonderful legs, Faris said. And that’s an f—ing fantastic compliment, you know. My legs are nice. However, that kind of affected my perception of the enterprise as a whole. The male protagonist didn’t get the job due to his amazing legs, in my opinion. As a consequence, I believed that these factors—rather than [skill]—were the reasons I was hired.
Reitman is best known for helming blockbusters including Junior, Twins, Kindergarten Cop, and the first two Ghostbusters films. He worked as a producer on films including Private Parts, Animal House, and Space Jam. At the age of 75, the renowned Canadian director of Czech descent passed away earlier this year.
