“I Got the Role by Providing Sexual Favors”—Famous Actress’s Revelation Causes a Stir

[ 10/11/2010 ]

[Ukopia.com=Reporter Kim Seong-eun, ukopia.com] A famous actress’s autobiography has sent shock waves through Hollywood. The actress is Lisa Rinna, known for the popular American TV series ‘Melrose Place.’ Her recently published book ‘Starlit’ exposes what happens behind Hollywood’s red-carpet glamour, putting producers on edge. The book focuses on scandals and stories involving sex in Hollywood. Although the actors appear under fictional names, making it seem like fiction at first, Rinna said in an interview with an online outlet that the stories are true. The passage drawing the most attention concerns the sexual demands made of actresses in exchange for roles, commonly called ‘casting couch’ practices (couch casting). In the book, Rinna describes a disturbing experience she had at age 24. She went to a producer’s room hoping to be cast in a popular TV drama, where he explicitly demanded sex. It was clear that if she took off her underwear and lay on his couch, the role would be hers. Humiliated, Rinna stormed out of the room and burst into tears. Rinna writes that many actresses have been cast after being pressured into sex with producers, condemning the men responsible. She says she could not even tell her husband, Harry Hamlin, about the experience. Several years ago, Rinna encountered the producer at a red-carpet event. She says she warned him that if he did the same thing to another actress, she would make sure he could no longer work in Hollywood. Rinna did not name the producer, saying she would continue to keep an eye on him.