The news on Tuesday that NBCUniversal vice chairman Ron Meyer, one of the longest-tenured top executives in Hollywood, had been fired from NBCUniversal due to fallout from an extramarital affair was big enough to rock the industry. But then the news broke that the woman Meyer had the relationship with was none other than Charlotte Kirk, whose extramarital affair with former Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara in 2013 and 2014 ultimately led to Tsujihara’s resignation in 2019.
It almost sounds like a primetime soap opera — an aspiring actor who somehow brings down two of the most powerful men in Hollywood. And yet despite her enormous impact on the industry, and her prolific and free-spirited presence on Instagram, Kirk remains a rather mysterious figure to the industry.
When contacted on Tuesday, Kirk’s manager asked if Variety paid for interviews — Variety does not — and declined to comment further on the record.
So who is Charlotte Kirk?
Born in Great Britain, Kirk is currently living with director Neil Marshall (“The Descent,” “Game of Thrones”) in Los Angeles, according to a document establishing their joint production company, Scarlett Productions, in the U.K. Marshall recently directed Kirk in “The Reckoning,” a thriller she also co-wrote and executive produced. According to IMDbpro, that production wrapped filming in July 2019, but doesn’t currently have distribution.
The film is set to kick off the 24th annual Fantasia International Film Festival with a virtual screening on Thursday evening. Marshall and Kirk were both scheduled to attend a Zoom Q&A after the screening — but Kirk has since backed out.
When Variety called Marshall for comment, he hung up the phone.
When did Kirk meet Ron Meyer?
Kirk met Meyer around 2012, when she would have been 19 or 20, and they began an affair, two sources have confirmed to Variety. Meyer would have been 67 or 68. According to a statement from Meyer that doesn’t name Kirk, the affair was “very brief and consensual.”
How does Kevin Tsujihara factor into all of this?
Well, it involves producer and billionaire James Packer and his then-producing partner Brett Ratner. By the end of 2012, Kirk was also reportedly in a relationship with Packer, and by Sept. 2013, Packer introduced Kirk to Tsujihara, according to text messages leaked to The Hollywood Reporter. From that meeting, Kirk and Tsujihara reportedly maintained a sexual relationship into 2014.
How did this affair cost Tsujihara his job?
Kirk has said that Tsujihara did not behave inappropriately, but after their affair ended, Kirk reportedly began contacting Tsujihara, Packer, and Ratner to pressure them to land her roles in upcoming movies.
Kirk’s efforts didn’t result in anything substantial, but she did land small roles in the Warner Bros. production “Ocean’s 8” and the New Line Cinema production “How to Be Single.”
When Tsujihara’s actions came to light in 2019, he had little choice but to resign.
So, wait, how did Kirk get involved with Neil Marshall?
Kirk also reportedly pressured Millennium Films CEO Avi Lerner to land roles in his productions, including the 2019 remake of “Hellboy” directed by Marshall.
She didn’t secure a part, but her efforts did bring her into the orbit of Marshall, who told THR that he “pushed hard” to get her a part in his movie. Marshall subsequently devoted his career to making “The Reckoning.”