Anna Faris Names Ivan Reitman As The Director Who Harassed Her On Set

Back in 2017, when the #MeToo floodgates first opened, Anna Faris revealed she had been harassed on set by a male director. She said this guy had slapped her ass in front of the crew and told her agent he’d hired her cuz of her “great legs.” Now, exactly five years later, Anna has named her harasser. It’s Ivan Reitman, who directed Anna in 2006’s My Super Ex-Girlfriend. Ivan is best known for making comedies like Ghostbusters, Meatballs, Stripes, Twins, and Kindergarten Cop. He passed away this past February at age 75. Funnily enough (well, not funny “haha”), this story comes out as more and more people go public with accusations about Bill Murray, Ivan’s frequent collaborator in the eighties. I swear to God, if we find out the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man is a sex pest, I will lose all faith in humanity.

Anna revealed this information on her podcast, Unqualified. Lena Dunham was the guest. Anna shares that it wasn’t just creepy behavior; Ivan had a big-time anger issue, via Unqualified:

“Well, one of my hardest film experiences was with Ivan Reitman. I mean, the idea of attempting to make a comedy under this, like, reign of terror, he was a yeller. He would bring down somebody every day… And my first day, it was me.”

Anna says that one time, she arrived late to set due to a costume mishap, and Ivan freaked out at her. She did her best not to cry, and she felt “angry and hurt and humiliated and defensive.” Later, “he slapped my ass. That was a weird moment.” Lena replied that she didn’t think Anna was the first person to make accusations like that about Ivan. She asked if anyone stepped in to put a stop to the behavior, and Anna said, “No. It was, like, 2006.” Here’s exactly what Anna said back in 2017, via Deadline:

“I was doing a scene where I was on a ladder and I was supposed to be taking books off a shelf and he slapped my ass in front of the crew so hard. And all I could do was giggle.”

“I remember looking around and I remember seeing the crew members being like, ‘Wait, what are you going to do about that? That seemed weird.’ And that’s how I dismissed it. I was like, ‘Well, this isn’t a thing. Like, it’s not that big of a deal. Buck up, Faris. Like, just giggle.’ But it made me feel small. He wouldn’t have done that to the lead male.”

“I remember that same director telling my agent, who told me, that I had great legs and that was one of the reasons that I got hired,” Faris revealed. “And listen, that’s a fucking great compliment. I like my legs. But that sort of informed my whole experience with that whole project. I don’t think the male lead got hired because he had great legs. Therefore I felt like I’m hired because of these elements — not because of [talent].”

Gavin Polone, one of the producers from Super Ex-Girlfriend told Deadline:

“I never saw that incident, or heard about it, but I would not have any reason to dispute Anna’s account, either. If Anna says it happened, I believe her. If it had happened in front of me, I certainly would have confronted Ivan about it. I’m sad to think Anna was demeaned in that way.”

Soooooo the producer of Animal House/director of Meatballs and Stripes is being accused of objectifying women in real life too. Not exactly the surprise of the century!

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