HBO blames casting directors for the “genital-to-genital” Westworld touching fiasco.
SAG-AFTRA has announced HBO didn’t violate any union rules, following allegations that the upcoming series Westworld violated those regulations by requiring extras to be nude and participate in “graphic sexual situations”.
A SAG-AFTRA spokesperson issued a statement Wednesday afternoon after HBO announced they were rectifying the document signed by background actors.
“SAG-AFTRA sent the consent form to HBO yesterday afternoon and requested that the document be changed to more accurately reflect the contractual provisions,” the statement said. “HBO had every opportunity to rectify this situation and it was only after their direct refusal to remedy this that we posted the notice on our website. The union is very pleased to hear that HBO is doing the right thing now but it is disappointing that we had to take such public measures to ensure compliance with our contracts and protect our background actors.”
Neither side has disclosed the actual provisions that HBO violated in the earlier consent form. But, in a major move, SAG-AFTRA has notified members late Tuesday that they could withdraw from the sexual scenes after the document previously disclosed that they could possibly perform “genital-to-genital touching”.
The union argued in the member alert that the set must be closed to anyone not having business with the production and that no still photographer be authorized without the consent of the background actor. It also asserted that they would have a representative on the set.
HBO’s statement on Wednesday, which was issued 15 hours after SAG-AFTRA’s warning to members, said it was revising the documenting. In fact, HBO blamed Central Casting went rogue and caused the fiasco on their own.
“The document that the background actors were given was created by an outside extras casting vendor,” HBO said. “It was not requested, written or approved by HBO, Warner Bros. Television, or the producers, and contains situations that we do not require of any actor. We are rectifying immediately the discrepancies in this vendor’s document with our actual on-set practices, which provide a professional and comfortable working environment for all performers.”
However, HBO refused to release the provisions of the revised document to the media and the casting company Central Casting, which is owned by Entertainment Partners has refused to comment on the issue.
HBO’s one-hour drama, inspired by the 1970s motion picture, is being called “a dark odyssey about the dawn of artificial consciousness and the future of sin.” The new series will air in February and features Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris, Evan Rachel Wood, James Marsden and Thandie Newton.
Source: Variety
