Actress Rita Wilson has spoken out about working with embattled producer Scott Rudin, whose alleged abusive behaviour over decades recently came to light.
Wilson, 64, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 while she was working with Rudin, 62, on Larry David's Broadway play Fish In The Dark.
"I felt like he was trying to find a way to fire me legally," said Wilson, who is married to actor Tom Hanks, in a New York Times story last Saturday (April 24). "He is the kind of person who makes someone feel worthless, unvaluable and replaceable."
The story also detailed abuse allegedly suffered by others who worked with Rudin, one of the most celebrated and powerful producers in Hollywood and on Broadway.
Rudin, an EGOT - someone who has an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony Award - developed a reputation as one of the vilest bosses in the industry, according to the New York Times.
He has been behind successful films such as The Social Network (2010) and No Country For Old Men (2007) and musicals like The Book Of Mormon, which was first staged in 2011.
But he is also known within the entertainment world for terrorising underlings and hurling items such as staplers, phones and mugs in moments of rage, the NYT article said.
Wilson recounted that after Rudin learnt about her diagnosis, he complained that she would need time off during Tony voting season and asked to see her medical records.
She added that the memory still pained her.
Mr Rick Miramontez, a spokesperson for Rudin, said that Rudin's recollection was that Wilson had wanted to open the show and then leave but that he and the director had not wanted her to delay treatment.
In the end, Wilson stayed in the play but took one month off to seek treatment. She underwent a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery and is now cancer-free.
In a statement last Tuesday, Rudin said he would be stepping back from Broadway, film and streaming projects.
He added: "I am profoundly sorry for the pain my behaviour has caused and I take this step with a commitment to grow and change."
