Alison Brie reveals how filming for an episode of GLOW season 2 reminded her of a real life #MeToo experience
GLOW returned with the second season on Friday (June 29) and yet again The Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling are back with some strong women-centric episodes. However, there was one scene in particular that made Alison Brie, who plays the role of Ruth, think about her career in Hollywood. Speaking to Mashable, the actress recalled the #MeToo movement and how she had taken in the news of what Hollywood is plagued with.
One among the episodes from the second season for the show is titled 'Perverts are People, Too'. The episode shows Ruth in a casting couch situation and the actress happened to have recollection fo something similar happening to her in Hollywood. While the episode was written before the #MeToo movement became prominent in the world, Alison says "it was not written before sexism."
"Shooting those scenes did bring up some personal feelings for me — which I sort of didn't expect," she said. "Honestly, when I first read it I was like, 'Is this scene bad enough? Is he really doing anything bad?' And then I had to stop and realize, 'Oh, wow, I've been in a lot of bad situations. And I've really normalized that kind behavior, even for myself.'" When one looks at the scene from the show, they would think that it is almost like a scene out of Harvey Weinstein's book of assaults.
Ruth is seen having a meeting with a TV executive and the head of the team creates a scenario in which the two end up in a hotel after dinner. In the room, the TV executive asks Ruth to show him some more wrestling moves before rubbing his genitals against a paralyzed Ruth. Ruth is quickly seen leaving the room. "It was such an admirable moment for Ruth as a character, for me to go like, 'Good for her — she get's out of there!'" Alison said.
The episode also shows what usually happens when someone tries to open up about the assault to the wrong person. When Ruth confides in her friend and fellow wrestler Debbie about why the network thought about burying the show rather than canceling it, Debbie yells at Ruth for being so "f**king stupid". "Debbie's reaction just shows how ingrained it is into women in this industry," Alison said.
"That this is the way we are supposed to respond to those situations — as if there's a right or wrong way. But there's a truth in it because it affects everyone around you," she continued. Meanwhile, she added that she has hope for change after the #MeToo movement. "But I feel like we are living in a moment of change. Like, if it's going to change, this will be the moment where see actual change, actual consequence, actual awareness registering within our industry. Which is something that we haven't seen before," she said.