A wave of Hollywood sexual abuse allegations has rocked the entertainment industry and in November one such controversy struck the Arrowverse, leading to the firing of Andrew Kreisberg, a creator, executive producer and showrunner who worked on all four of The CW’s hit DC shows, ‘Arrow’, ‘The Flash’, ‘Legends of Tomorrow’ and ‘Supergirl’. While many of the stars involved with these shows issued statements when the investigation began, not much has been said since Kreisberg’s firing.
While attending the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour to promote her upcoming project ‘Waco’, ‘Supergirl’ star Melissa Benoist addressed the issue, saying:
“That was a major disappointment, and the irony was not lost on me. I have to say that the way our show has recovered as a cast and a crew together, we have an atmosphere on set now that I’m extremely proud of and there are a lot of amazing men that work on our show, and we have a lot of amazing women that are in powerful positions on our show as well — now one of our co-showrunners is a female, [Jessica Queller], and the executive producer Sarah Schechter. We’re all in the fight for equality and for a safer atmosphere in the working space.”
She went on to add:
“I think it’s a matter of empathy, and it’s a matter of listening to each other and maybe as standing in each other’s shoes for a day across genders, and across sexualities, across any platforms. I just think it’s a matter of listening to each other. It’s hard to talk about something when you’re still so in the thick of it, when you’re still so engulfed by sorting out the confusion, but I have a lot of hope. I think that people are better than the way things have been.”
As she returns to work on ‘Supergirl’, Benoist expressed that she would be “even more committed to being a part of changing the norm by listening when people speak up, and refusing to accept an environment that is anything less than a safe, respectful and collaborative space.”
‘Supergirl’ returns on Monday at 8pm EST on The CW for a four-week run, before turning the time slot over to ‘Legends of Tomorrow’ for a limited run.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
