Tippi Hedren Compares Alfred Hitchcock To Harvey Weinstein: ‘Hitch Said He Would Ruin My Career’

As actresses throughout modern day Hollywood come forward to speak against the practice of sexual misconduct among Hollywood producers and top executives, some are reminding us that this is nothing new. Bartering sex for career opportunities is as old as Hollywood itself, as veteran actress Tippi Hedren points out. In a statement of her own, the actress, best known for her roles in The Birds (1963), Marnie (1964), and Roar (1981), reveals that sexual harassment has always been a job hazard.

Tippi Hedren Speaks Out Against Alfred Hitchcock

While the whole world may be watching how the case, or rather cases, against Harvey Weinstein develop, The Independent reported that Tippi Hedren has taken a special interest. Her concern isn’t specifically with Harvey or The Weinstein Company, but with Hollywood as a whole. The Marnie actress tweeted her thoughts on seeing sexual misconduct exposed in this case and her hopes for what it will mean for all of Hollywood.

In her tweet, Ms. Hedren acknowledged the fact that sexual harassment and misconduct is neither a new phenomenon, nor is it something that happens exclusively in Hollywood. She added that she was sexually harassed throughout her career, as both a model and as an actress. She added that Alfred Hitchcock wasn’t the first individual to place her in a compromising position, though he may have been one of the most demanding.

In speaking about the situation with Alfred Hitchcock, who directed Hedren in The Birds and Marnie, she said she had reached a point where she felt the need to take a stand. It was her choice to walk away, rather than let the director continually harass her, reported Town & Country.

“Hitch said he would ruin my career and I told him to do what he had to do,” writes Tippi in her Twitter post.

Ms. Hedren closed her statement, which was shared as an image to get around Twitter’s 140 character limit, by commenting on the five decades it has taken for women to speak out against sexual misconduct. The actress feels too little has been done in the years, since she stood up against Hitchcock, but she’s also happy to see that things are changing.

“Good for them,” says Tippi Hedren of the actresses speaking out against Harvey Weinstein.

At 87 years old, Tippi is still active in Hollywood. Earlier this summer, Ms. Hedren starred in The Ghost and the Whale, which also starred Jonathan Pryce and Monica Keena.

[Featured Image by Rich Fury/Getty Images]