Rita Wilson says Scott Rudin was 'trying to find a way' to fire her after cancer diagnosis
Rita Wilson has painful memories of working with Scott Rudin, the controversial producer who has stepped down from Broadway League amid a flurry of accusations of abusive behavior.
Wilson claims her troubles with Rudin began after she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 while collaborating on Larry David's play Fish in the Dark. In an interview with The New York Times, the actress claimed "he complained that she would need time off during Tony voting season and asked to see her medical records."
Wilson further alleges that before she was able to go on stage, her agent relayed a message from Rudin saying "her surgeon needed to call the insurance adjuster immediately," a memory that "still pains her." An insurance adjuster determines how much the insurance company should pay for a claim filed due to illness or injury.
Getty Images; Kevin Winter/Getty Images
"I felt like he was trying to find a way to fire me legally," Wilson told the Time. "He is the kind of person who makes someone feel worthless, unvaluable and replaceable."
EW has reached out to Rudin's spokesman Rick Miramontez for comment.
Miramontez told the Times of the allegations, "Mr. Rudin's recollection was that Ms. Wilson had wanted to open the show and then leave, but that he and the director had not wanted her to delay treatment. Ms. Wilson stayed in the play — another actor performed her part during her time off — and today is cancer free."
Throughout his lengthy career, the Oscar and Tony Award-winning producer worked on hit productions in theater and film including The Social Network, The Book of Mormon, No Country for Old Men, Clueless, and Lady Bird, among many more. The Hollywood Reporter released an expose on April 7 with multiple allegations of abuse from former staffers.
Ten days later, Rudin announced he would be stepping back from his Broadway productions followed by an announcement on April 20 that he's also stepping away from his film and streaming projects.
"I am stepping back from my film and streaming projects in addition to my work on Broadway," he told Deadline in a statement. "I am doing so to take the time to work on personal issues I should have long ago. When I commented over the weekend, I was focused on Broadway reopening successfully and not wanting my previous behavior to detract from everyone's efforts to return. It's clear to me I should take the same path in film and streaming. I am profoundly sorry for the pain my behavior has caused and I take this step with a commitment to grow and change."
Related content:
Solve the daily Crossword
