MANILA, Philippines — James Marsden, who rose into stardom by playing Scott Summers or Cyclops in “X-Men” films, visited Manila on February 6 to mark International Scotch Day on February 8.
During the event, Marsden has been introduced as #LoveScotch’s international celebrity ambassador. The Filipino press cannot help but ask the actor about #MeToo, arguably the hottest topic in Hollywood nowadays sparked by sexual harassment charges against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein by Hollywood stars like Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Though Marsden has been timid in expressing his opinion on the issue, he acknowledged that the initiative is a great campaign.
“I think it’s a great thing. I hope that people can continue to go about it with great strength,” said the star of hit Hollywood flicks “Enchanted,” “27 Dresses,” “The Notebook,” and “Superman Returns,” among others.
#MeToo began in the United States, when actress Alyssa Milano tweeted last October 15: “If all the women who have been sexually harassed or assaulted wrote ‘Me too’ as a status, we might give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem.”
In only 10 days, over 1.7 million people in 85 countries have used the hashtag in response of the shocking sexual misconduct allegations against Weinstein. From Weinstein, the accusers and the accused have also multiplied. The issue has also expanded from from Hollywood (Kevin Spacey, Dustin Hoffman, James Franco) to music (Russell Simmons), politics (Alabama candidate Roy Moore, Sen. Al Franken) and the food industry (Mario Batali).
The accused reportedly lost jobs, book deals, TV shows, and even a Senate seat. Spacey was allegedly erased from a completed movie. “Glee” star Mark Salling also reportedly died after pleading guilty to possessing child pornography. — Video by EC Toledo IV
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