Matthew Lawrence says that he was fired by his talent agency after he refused to take his clothes off for a director who wanted to take naked Polaroid photos of him.
Matthew, 43, opened up on the incident on his podcast Brotherly Love amid a discussion of harassment in Hollywood, more than five years after the emergence of the #MeToo movement. (He did not specify who the director was or when the incident happened.)
The Abington Township, Pennsylvania-born actor, speaking with brothers Joey Lawrence and Andrew Lawrence on the podcast, told in detail the uncomfortable experience with a man he described as an Academy Award-winning filmmaker.
‘I lost my agency because I went to the hotel room – which I can’t believe they would send me to – of a very prominent Oscar award-winning director who showed up in his robe, asked me to take my clothes off and said he needed to take Polaroids of me,’ Matthew said.
The Mrs. Doubtfire actor added that there were significant professional consequences when he did not comply, including losing his talent agency – because, he said, he ‘left this director’s room’ – as well as key professional opportunities.
The latest:Â Matthew Lawrence, 43, says that he was fired by his talent agency after he refused to take his clothes off for a director who wanted to take naked Polaroid photos of him
‘If I did X, Y and Z, I would be the next Marvel character,’ said Matthew, who appeared as a child star on shows such as Brotherly Love and Boy Meets World.
Matthew spoke about the differing aspects of gender in speaking out about the predators who have been lurking in Hollywood for decades, noting that ‘men go through this as well.
‘Not a lot of guys, in my opinion, have come out and talked about this in the industry,’ Lawrence said. ‘Now, granted, it’s probably about a third of what women go through.’
Matthew also brought up what he perceived to be a difference in public reactions to men coming forward as opposed to women, citing actor Terry Crews.
Crews in 2018 accused former William Morris Endeavor exec Adam Venit of groping him at a party two years earlier. Venit, who denied the accusations, was subsequently suspended and demoted in the wake of the situation.
Said Matthew: ‘A lot of these stories, a lot of my other male friends have gone through – both men and women in this industry – but there’s a double standard and this is where I bring Terry Crews.
He continued: ‘Terry Crews comes out and says it, people are laughing at him. People don’t support him. They kick him out, why?
‘Because he’s a man that represents masculinity, and I think our society is less ready to hear that situation going on with men than they are with women, actually.’
The Abington Township, Pennsylvania-born actor told in detail the uncomfortable experience with a man he described as an Academy Award-winning filmmaker
The Mrs. Doubtfire actor added that there were significant professional consequences when he did not comply, including losing his talent agency – because, he said he ‘left this director’s room’ – as well as key professional opportunities
Matthew spoke about the differing aspects of gender in speaking out about the predators who have been lurking in Hollywood for decades, noting that ‘men go through this as wellÂ
Matthew was pictured with TLC’s Chilli Thomas at a dinner party to celebrate Lifetime Black Excellence in LA last monthÂ
Matthew’s older brother Joey Lawrence said his unwillingness to submit to the whims of show business predators cost him many ‘big movie parts’
Joey Lawrence chimed in on the issue, noting that ‘there’s been a lot of those crossroads’ and tough moments for performers facing harassment in the entertainment industry, adding, ‘We’ve all been a part of that.’
Citing his own experiences, Joey said his unwillingness to submit to the whims of show business predators cost him many ‘big movie parts.’
He added, For me, when those moments arose – and there were plenty, obviously – it was just a principle thing for me. I just wasn’t gonna do it. And I lost out on a lot of parts, too.
He told Matthew, ‘And like you said, I know the guys that went on and did them, and I don’t know what situations they were into. I’m not even gonna speculate. But I know that it was set up in an infrastructure where that was expected.’
