Abigail Breslin posted a lengthy statement on both her Tumblr and Instagram accounts in which she remembered being called “hysterical” after speaking out about a co-star’s unprofessional behavior. The “Little Miss Sunshine” Oscar nominee implied that she was inspired to post after Blake Lively filed a sexual harassment complaint against her “It Ends With Us” co-star and director Justin Baldoni. Kate Beckinsale was similarly inspired to share her own set harassment stories after Lively’s complaint.
“When did the word woman become synonymous with scapegoat?” Breslin asked at the start of her post. “As I see the news each day, I realize this is the world we seem to live in. In light of recent events regarding the attempt to destroy the career and livelihood of a fellow actress and woman, I have felt compelled to write this, as I have unfortunately been subject to the same toxic masculinity throughout my life.”
“In my recent career, I’ve brought forward concerns about a male colleague and was deemed ‘hysterical,’” she continued. “I was told my fears were figments of my imagination. Now, as I’m seeing this pattern pop up more, I realize this is the norm.”
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Breslin explained that she made “a confidential complaint against a coworker for unprofessional behavior” and was then met with a lawsuit filed against her that was eventually withdrawn.
“I had the silly and naive impression they would believe me,” she wrote. “Instead of being believed and protected, a suit was filed against me for having the audacity to speak up.”
Breslin wrote that she “was made to seem like someone who just goes after men, rather than being seen as someone who has been dealing as a professional in this world, since I was a child, standing up for herself…This was after I had taken all of the recommended, reasonable and appropriate measures of reporting confidentially to my union. The experience left me with a lot of questions, of the professionals in my industry, of the public, and of men.”
Breslin ended her post by asking: “Why are we always so quick to defend a man after he is accused of bad behavior, but if a woman speaks out … she’s clearly a liar? I find most people believe the approval of a man is far more significant than the burden of supporting a woman. For men, it is always innocent until proven guilty. For women it is the opposite. ‘Prove your fear.’ ‘Prove your discomfort.’ ‘Prove your pain.’ This MUST change.”
While Breslin did not name the colleague or the project involved in this story, she was at the center of a lawsuit in November 2023 related to the production of an espionage thriller titled “Classified.” Producers of the film sued Breslin alleging that her “hysterical” and “imaginary” allegations against co-star Aaron Eckhart imperiled the film’s release.
According to that lawsuit, the entire production “almost ground to a halt” when Breslin accused Eckhart of “aggressive, demeaning and unprofessional” behavior on set. Breslin alleged that his behavior “placed her at various times in peril,” and she refused to be alone with him in several scenes.
Read Breslin’s full post in the Instagram below.