Getty
James Cameron praised Eliza Dushku for speaking out about the alleged sexual abuse she suffered while working on the director's 1994 movie "True Lies."
On Saturday, Dushku, now 37, accused stunt coordinator Joel Kramer of molesting her off set of the film when she was just 12. He later denied the accusations.
After Dushku asked, "Why didn't an adult on the set find his predatory advances strange -- that over-the-top special attention he gave me?", Cameron took time to applaud her bravery at a press conference during the TCAs later in the day.
Getty
Katie Couric Breaks Silence on Matt Lauer: 'It's Completely Unacceptable'
View Story"I just heard about it. I haven't given a lot of thought to the specific situation today — I just heard about it, but obviously Eliza is very brave for speaking up," he said (via EW). "I think all the women are that are speaking up and calling for a reckoning now. I think this has been endemic throughout human systems, not just Hollywood, but because Hollywood deals with, women who were victims 10, 15, 20 years ago are famous today, so they get to have a louder voice when they come forward, so bravo for them for doing it. And I'm glad Eliza did that."
"It's just heartbreaking that it happened to her. I know the other party — not well, he hasn't worked for me since then. The fact that this was happening under our noses and we didn't know about it, going forward, it's important for all industries, certainly Hollywood, to create a safe avenue for people to speak up, that they feel safe, and that anybody who might be a predator or an abuser knows that that mechanism is there, that it's encouraged, and that there's no shame around it, and that there will be consequences," he continued.
Getty
That Time James Cameron Almost Fought Harvey Weinstein at the Oscars
View Story"This is a great moment in history, unfortunately it's founded on personal tragedy for so many of these women. This is not a reckoning for Hollywood, this is not a reckoning for America, this is a reckoning for the human race," Cameron went on.
"Directors are historically pretty oblivious to the interpersonal things that are happening on their set, because they are just focused, and I'm probably one of the worst offenders of that, being focused on what I'm doing creatively. But had I known about it, there would've been no mercy. Now, especially that I have daughters, there's really no mercy."
Getty
