Casting Couch: The Case of Child Actor Abuse

[sammyyummy]

Out of sheer boredom, I recently read the Corey Feldman memoir, Coreyography. While the book severely lacked any insight from the author and that chunks were devoted to MJ, there were quite a number of disturbing aspects of this book in particular pertaining to Feldman and Haim.

The obvious one, where were the parents?
Feldman narrated how Haim was sodomized in between trailers during a lunch break from filming. So where were the parents or guardians when these child actors were actively working?

Feldman seemed more content airing Haim's abuse rather than his own (though he let out a few, impassioned) And in more than a few instance, Feldman selected out the male pedophiles (as he was the one calling them) who feasted on Haim. Haim was portrayed as a hypersexualized teen ruled by hormonal urgency to get laid, but Feldman chose the ones Haim had sex with. It's weird how Feldman chose male pedophiles rather than calling any female of their age to hook up with. A certain professional jealousy can be detected here - like deliberate attempt to derail Haim into a self destructive path. Where were his adult co-stars?

Some former child actors now corroborate Feldman's claims that "everybody already had the two coreys" but they knew about it and perhaps their parents knew too. Later on when they say Haim waste his life away on drugs, didnt the abuse connection make sense. Its tragic when you see someone you know slip like that before you.

It's messy and tragic.

And now there is the Bryan Singer case.

 

[BadMan125]

I saw a post from IMDB about the random twinks Bryan had in his house. All these pictures with Bryan in most of them and they use "18" for some of the boys but it was clear to me that they probably weren't 18 since most of the boys were described as having been that age. Only one or two were admittedly underage. Child sexual abuse in Hollywood is more common than one would think.

 

[bigsal]

I saw a post from IMDB about the random twinks Bryan had in his house. All these pictures with Bryan in most of them and they use "18" for some of the boys but it was clear to me that they probably weren't 18 since most of the boys were described as having been that age. Only one or two were admittedly underage. Child sexual abuse in Hollywood is more common than one would think.

I do not want to take sides with anyone, let alone defend a practice who I have always doomed.
But there is a question not to be overlooked. Because the complaint after so many years?
The thing is very, very suspicious.
If this person really cares about the wrong suffered, let justice takes its course, giving up any money compensation.
It will have all my respect and my support. But I fear that its aim of intent is different from the true sense of justice.

 

[lhardwick69]

the thing now is corey haim is gone now-- and the comment about corey feldman---"Feldman selected out the male pedophiles (as he was the one calling them) who feasted on Haim. Haim was portrayed as a hypersexualized teen ruled by hormonal urgency to get laid, but Feldman chose the ones Haim had sex with. It's weird how Feldman chose male pedophiles rather than calling any female of their age to hook up with. """---

sure if Feldman picked who haim had sex with haim did it because he was into it--if he wasn't into men he would have told Feldman he wanted chicks--

I know I myself had a crush on haim for yrs loved him in lost boys tub scene where he is singing-- reminded me of times when fun to be a teen and have fun-- those days are gone for me--

but as for sex behind the curtain it happens all the time probably has happened for many many yrs-- sure a lot of parts got determined by whether the actor/actress wanted to give a blowjob or fuck to get that part--so where a lot of actors get parts because they are famous is one thing but others feel like they need to do whatever to make it in the world--it happens everywhere whether its in movies music or out here trying to live day to day-- its called prostitution..and after so many times you either say hey it has to stop or b you like it so you get laid and still working getting paid--

I don't know what was going through corey haims mind as he grew up no one does and never will--I just know I would have liked to see more from him other than lost boys and license to drive which was a hilarious movie

 

[ritsuka]

I read Feldman's biography, and I found that actually, it contained a lot of insight about how his own abusive parents neglected and exploited him for money and didn't care about what happened to him otherwise. His parents blew through over one million dollars of his money on themselves and then when he was emancipated at 15 his agent drugged and raped him multiple times.

Haim was groomed and then raped by an adult pedophile at 11 years old on a film set--that kind of sexual abuse does often cause children to become hyper-sexualized afterwards, as well as leading to drug addiction which both of them experienced. What I took away from the book was primarily just how disorienting his life was--Feldman spent much of his childhood working and being abused, and then become addicted to drugs as a teenager after being raped multiple times. But becoming hyper-sexualized after years of sexual abuse does NOT absolve the pedophiles who took advantage of him, they were still sick criminals. Feldman regrets participating but feels he was powerless to really stop Haim from being abused at the time.

I think it's quite understandable that people spend a long time dealing with self-doubt, self-blame and shame before they finally have enough courage to report being sexually abused. Personally, I support all victims and take their side automatically. I'm sure a rich sleeze like Bryan Singer would take advantage of minors in that way. Hollywood is under many laws today to protect children that didn't exist in the 80's, but I think it can still be a very exploitative place, since people are given extreme wealth and power for producing mindless entertainment like superhero films.

“The hardcore drug addicts that I treat, are, without exception, people who have had extraordinarily difficult lives. The commonality is childhood abuse. These people all enter life under extremely adverse cirstances. Not only did they not get what they need for healthy development; they actually got negative cirstances of neglect. I don’t have a single female patient in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver who wasn’t sexually abused, for example, as were many of the men, or abused, neglected and abandoned serially, over and over again. That’s what sets up the brain biology of addiction. In other words, the addiction is related both psychologically, in terms of emotional pain relief, and neurobiological development to early adversity.”

― Gabor Maté