New Graphic Details Surface About Debbie Reynolds’ Abuse In Hollywood

Hollywood icon Debbie Reynolds passed away last week only hours after her daughter, Carrie Fisher. In her autobiography, the 84-year-old shed light on the abuse she took while she was working as an actress. 

When Reynolds landed a role in a film called The Catered Affair, she explained that the director, Richard Brooks, actually struck her on the face.

“He called me ‘Little Miss Hollywood’ and made no attempt to hide his disdain for me,” Reynolds wrote. “Every day he was rude, and once he slapped me across the face in front of everyone. I don’t know what I’d done to anger him that time. I was always professional.”

She continued by writing: “As he lifted his arm to wallop me again, the assistant director stepped in front of me to stop him. Later that day, a camera ‘accidentally’ ran over Richard’s foot, breaking it. He was in obvious pain, but everyone took their time removing the heavy piece of equipment. The crew had found their own way to show their support for me.”

After horrific experiences like this, Reynolds learned how to handle abusive directors. She recalled using a special trick on director Henry Hathaway back in 1961 during the production of How The West Was Won.

“Everybody warned me that Henry Hathaway, who was in charge on that picture, treated actresses badly, but when I first met him he hid his real nature behind polite manners,” Reynolds wrote.

She continued: “That didn’t last long. Within a few days he was screaming and swearing at me in front of everyone on the set. So I warned him: ‘Please don’t yell at me, Mr. Hathaway. I’ll faint.’ He kept yelling, so I closed my eyes and hit the dirt. I remained unconscious until, realizing that I was going to lie there all day if I had to, he apologized. That worked a miracle cure, and I awoke. We went through the same routine the following day, but this time he saw the funny side when the words ‘I apologize’ revived my senses. From then on, all I had to do was say, ‘I’ll faint, Mr. Hathaway,’ and he’d calm down.”

While these instances were horrific, Reynolds said that her most unpleasant film was 1953’s Give A Girl A Break. She wrote that her co-star Bob Fosse continually made sexual advances towards her.

“Bob Fosse was also in love with himself, but it wasn’t his face that was his favorite feature. During rehearsals, he would come up behind me and press his well-endowed anatomy against my backside. He was wearing nothing but dancer’s tight. It was incredibly unpleasant, and Bob didn’t respond to subtle discouragement – like being pushed away vigorously.”

“This kept happening, until finally I went to a chemist’s and purchased a large ‘dance belt’ – a restrictive jock strap-like garment worn by male dancers – which only came in black. I left it in his locker. The message was clear: Bob didn’t bother me anymore.”

“One day we were rehearsing our lines when he decided that I was kissable, and came at me. I ran – round and round the room several times, until he crashed into me and knocked me down. That started him laughing. I joined in, and told him: ‘I am not going to bed with you, so get over it. We’ll work on our lines and nothing else.”

What are your thoughts about the horrific stories Debbie Reynolds shared about her abusive experiences in Hollywood?

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[H/T Daily Mail]