Why Do Famous Actors Continue To Work For Roman Polanski Even Though He Is A Convicted Rapist?

[Dinkus69]

And how is he able to legally flee hollywood and hide out in France without the authorities trying to capture him.

[douglas9401]

Maybe a case of 'when in Rome...'

[AuntPG]

All this happened in 1978 he is hardly 'fleeing the country' to avoid capture.

Secondly actors have been asked this question before with regards to Polanski, Woody Allen and more recently Harvey Weinstein. The majority of them revealed they put the facts aside and focussed on the person as a director -rather convenient for them if you ask me and totally aberrant. If you need material for research there is quite a bit here:
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/jan/30/hollywood-reverence-child-rapist-roman-polanski-convicted-40-years-on-run

[dave50]

Imagine if he had been convicted of racism, it would have been a completely story. Those that would continue to work for him would have had their careers destroyed.

[AuntPG]

Technically Polanski was never convicted of rape. He was charged with statutory rape of a 13 year old, later plea bargained this down to unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. He did a runner to France before final sentencing.

[naomi24]

Maybe they need the work and can't afford to take the moral high ground.

[AuntPG]

Sigourney Weaver, Harrison Ford, Johnny Depp, Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Kate Winslet and many more have appeared in Polanski movies. All famous of course for being impecunious.

[naomi24]

Perhaps they don't believe it then - or don't care. Who knows?

[AuntPG]

They have no choice to believe or not to believe, as he pleaded guilty to the charge of unlawful sex with a minor, and wrote extensively about the event in his biography. When asked, some said they put the facts aside and focussed on the person as a director. As Dave pointed out, it would perhaps have been a different attitude had Polanski been convicted or accused or Racism or Homophobia.

[jno]

APG, as I recall it, he did agree to the plea bargain whereby he'd plead guilty to a lesser charge and they would go for a lighter punishment. But after he'd done his bit, the prosecution changed their mind and called for a heavier sentence after all. At that point he decided he'd been conned, and left the country. In his shoes, I might have done the same.

(I'm open to correction on this, it was a long time ago.)

[douglas9401]

Luvvies, separating the art from the artist since forever.

[jno]

douglas, in the case of Woody Allen, I've never believed a word of the allegations against him, which were investigated at the time by police in two states.

It's good that these claims of abuse are now being taken more seriously than they used to be, but we still have the choice of disbelieving them. Allen and Garrison Keillor are the only ones I've believed from the start have been completely innocent.