Burn It Down

May 15, 2023
Film and television critic Ryan debuts with a scathing critique of the “self-serving myths Hollywood believes about itself.” Arguing against the view that “difficult” actors are the price of good art, Ryan contends that Jared Leto’s insistence on keeping his character’s exaggerated limp in between takes on the set of Morbius wasted his colleagues’ time and insulted disabled people. She also excoriates the tendency to view abusive bosses as tough guys who “get things done,” discussing how Scott Rudin’s high-profile defenders allowed the producer to get away with screaming at employees. Asserting that the industry has failed women and people of color, Ryan notes that Lost actor Harold Perrineau was written off the show after complaining he was being sidelined in favor of his white costars, and that “with one exception... HBO has not aired an original one-hour drama series created by a woman.” Success stories demonstrate the benefits of cultivating a healthy workplace: Nancy Drew showrunner Melinda Hsu Taylor’s commitment to respecting writers’ work/life balance once convinced a coveted writer to choose the show over better-paying opportunities. Filled with revealing behind-the-scenes stories and blistering analyses of the industry’s failings, this makes a convincing case for rebooting Hollywood.

May 15, 2023
An expos� of the entertainment industry and its patterns of abuse, hypocrisy, and staggering arrogance. Hollywood likes to think of itself as a dream factory, but for many people who try to build a career in the industry, it can seem like the stuff of nightmares. Vanity Fair contributing editor Ryan has been writing about the film and TV industries for many years and has collected a huge number of stories about abuses. While the revelations about Harvey Weinstein shone a light into shadowy corners, the author argues that a propensity for abuse is effectively institutionalized, especially among producers and directors. One of the myths of Hollywood is that creativity and awful behavior are tied together, so the abuse of people with no power by those at the top is allowed, even expected. In fact, some of the worst abusers have shelves of awards and receive massive paychecks. Even post-Weinstein, anyone who dares to complain about abuse is risking their career or more. Women suffer much of the abuse, ranging from protracted harassment to rape. At the same time, minorities are cut out of opportunities or pushed into stereotypical roles. Ryan accepts that there has been improvement in the past few years, but the pace is glacial. For many abusers, there are still no consequences for their behavior, and therefore no reason to change it. Ryan devotes the final third of the book to possible options for reform. She notes that a portal for reporting abuse has been established, although it is too early to assess its effectiveness. The key to real improvement is a change of mindset. Industry companies must stop employing known abusers, take complaints seriously, and create an effective process to assist victims. Hopefully, the author's suggestions will be implemented, but genuine change will be a long and painful haul. Ryan has the experience and insight to explore Hollywood's dark underbelly, and she finds plenty of monsters.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

June 1, 2023
Film and television journalist and critic Ryan has written the kind of book the phrase "searing indictment" was invented for: a straight-shooting, rigorously researched and documented expos� of Hollywood's culture of abuse. And not just the high-profile cases like that of producer Harvey Weinstein, whose history of sexual misconduct rocked the industry; Ryan takes us behind the scenes of popular television shows and into producers' offices, speaking with a lengthy list of industry insiders to build a compelling case that abuse in Hollywood--sexual, racial, gender-based, and more--is not a series of isolated incidents, but rather part of a larger pattern. Hollywood is rotting from the inside, and it will take major changes, which the author discusses in detail, to make it healthy. This appears to be the book Ryan's career has been building toward: she's always been an advocate for people who work in the entertainment industry, and she's never shied away from exposing Hollywood's darker side. This powerful, angry, shocking, and important work should grip all readers interested in the truth about the entertainment industry.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

June 1, 2023

Vanity Fair contributing editor Ryan exposes the ugly truths about the entertainment business and the harmful behaviors that have been accepted and normalized in Hollywood for more than a century. The author asserts that the problem is never just one person. Sexual predators are just one part of a toxic work environment that people are meant to overlook when making movies and television shows. Mentions of classic Hollywood stories about the abuse and mistreatment of workers are brief, but there is a long list of issues that are represented in this book. By breaking down the various myths that entertainment workers are told to believe, the author dismantles the argument that there is no changing the business; she also offers solutions. Readers will come away with a better understanding of what creatives have gone through to make the shows and films people love to watch. Some readers may even recognize similar harmful behaviors in their own work environments. VERDICT All workers, as well as TV and movie buffs, can appreciate this well-told book of essays about labor in Hollywood.--Emily Kubincanek

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