Too Scared To Speak Up or Ask For Help? Read This.
Speaking out about misconduct in the acting industry can feel scary and intimidating, whether you speak up publicly or even privately. For many, the fear of retaliation, being “blacklisted,” or losing future opportunities can be so overwhelming that silence feels like the only option. If you feel this way, you’re not alone. The system is sort of designed to keep people quiet. But let’s look at the reality.
The Smoke and Mirrors of the Industry
The entertainment industry runs on perception. People in positions of power often want you to believe that they can make or break your career. They’ll hint at connections, drop names, and present themselves as “gatekeepers.” But in truth, no one has that much power.
There is no secret blacklist. There is no all-seeing eye that controls who gets opportunities and who doesn’t. Yes, some people have influence, but influence is not the same as absolute control. And if someone ever did attempt to punish you for speaking out, it wouldn’t confirm their power - it would expose their guilt. Retaliation is a red flag that says more about them than about you. For example if you were to play a part in exposing someone’s bad, or criminal, behaviour, and that person then went around bad mouthing you in an attempt to “ruin your career” - that would only raise questions in others and prove the kind of person you have explained them to be!
The Myth of Career Ruin
One of the most effective tools perpetrators use is the threat of “ruined careers.” It keeps people silent, isolated, and afraid. But think about it: have you ever heard of a genuinely good person in the industry threatening someone into silence? I haven’t. Because people with integrity don’t need to do that. Through the work of The 98% I (Alexa) have been connected to countless industry professionals including casting directors, agents, producers, and more. Most of them are wonderful people who work in this industry because they love creatives and love working with actors. Someone like that would never threaten an actor in any way.
The only people who resort to intimidation are those who benefit from silence, those who have things to hide (and who are probably afraid that once one person speaks out, others will too). Their threats are a smokescreen, not a reflection of reality. And the more people speak out, the harder it becomes for these tactics to work.
Silence Protects the Wrong People
It’s natural to want to protect yourself. But silence doesn’t protect you - it protects them. Every time fear or threats succeed in keeping someone quiet, it reinforces the very system that enables misconduct to continue. That “conspiracy of silence” doesn’t exist because survivors are weak or cowardly. It exists because the industry has long relied on fear as a tool of control.
But here’s the truth: every time someone finds the courage to speak out, even quietly, it chips away at that silence. And when enough voices rise together, the whole illusion of power comes crashing down.
Personally it might feel more comfortable and easier for you to just stay quiet, move on and pretend it never happened. But that could be setting others up to experience the same wrongdoing you are trying to escape. Now, this isn’t an attempt to victim blame, but an opportunity to evaluate what is actually better for you in the long run. In one case I was helping with there were women with evidence of sexual harassment who didn’t want to make reports because they were frightened. But then they chastised and belittled themselves for choosing to not report. As much as I encouraged them to understand it isn’t their fault and they were doing what they thought was best for them, the guilt ate away at them and they were upset that they didn’t feel “stronger”. Sometimes choosing to stay silent can have personal repercussions, not just for others, but for you too. The burden of carrying it alone can sometimes be heavier than speaking up.
Finding a Way Forward
Speaking out doesn’t have to mean a front-page headline or a viral tweet. It can look like:
Confiding in a trusted friend or peer.
Documenting your experience (emails, screenshots, diary entries).
Sharing anonymously with advocacy groups, unions, or collectives.
Reaching out privately to someone who’s spoken out before.
You are allowed to take your time. You are allowed to choose the method that feels safe. But know this: your voice matters. And the people who try to scare you into silence are counting on you never realizing that.
If you are sitting with an experience of misconduct but feel too scared to share it, remember this: no one has the absolute power to end your career. That is a lie told by those who rely on silence to keep their behaviour hidden.
The real risk is not in speaking, but in letting the cycle continue unchecked. Every story shared - no matter how big or small - helps break the illusion, shift the culture, and protect those who come after you. If you do report to organisations you hope will help, sadly because of the lack of industry regulation they may not take any action. However you then have a paper trail of ignored reports, and context to any further reports that may come in in future.
Your truth is powerful. And those who threaten you into silence are only revealing their own fear: fear of being exposed.
Experiencing misconduct is one thing, feeling threatened when considering seeking help or speaking up to warn others only deepends the harm. Try not to let their actions diminish your light. Your strength, worth, potential, talent and voice remain intact - and you have so much to offer the world, and this industry.
Perpetrators of abuse in this business believe that their victims and survivors will be too scared to find their voice, that their self-esteem will be too low, that they’ll believe no one will care, that they’ll feel too alone to speak up, and that it’s easier for them and their career to fade into the culture of silence. Prove them wrong.
Written by Alexa Morden
Looking for help and advice on steps to take if you’ve experienced industry misconduct? Read this blog post and click here for next steps on getting help from The 98%.