Disclaimer: This article mentions sexual assault.
Actress Rebecca Romijn sheds light on the controversial pasts of directors Bryan Singer and Brett Ratner by sharing her experiences with both men and bringing attention to their tarnished reputations.
For context, Singer was accused in a 2019 article published by The Atlantic of allegedly sexually assaulting four men when they were minors, most of which were under the guise that they would get a professional opportunity from Singer. Although the filmmaker initially denied the accusations at the time, Singer ultimately settled a 2017 lawsuit filed by Cesar Sanchez-Guzman, years later. Guzman claimed that Singer allegedly sexually assaulted him in 2002 while the pair attended a party in Seattle.
In addition to the sexual assault allegations, several stars of the X-Men franchise, including Halle Berry and Alan Cumming, accused Singer, who famously directed six installments of the franchise, of unprofessional behavior. They claimed that he showed up on set unprepared and created unsafe work environments.
While in 2017, actresses Natasha Henstridge, Olivia Munn, and many other women accused Ratner of sexual assault or harassment, some of which dates back to the 1990s. Henstridge claimed Ratner coerced her into performing a sexual act on him when she was 19. At the same time, Munn accused the director of masturbating in front of her after bringing food to his trailer. Ratner has since denied the allegations.
Although both men have steered clear from the public eye due to the backlash, that hasn’t stopped former colleagues from sharing their tales. During a recent interview with The Independent, Romijn revealed that she enjoyed working with Singer during the first two X-Men films and credited his directing abilities despite the drama on set. The 50-year-old said,
“He’s a fantastic filmmaker, you know? It was amazing watching him work. And you have to decide if you want to try and separate those two things. I know that the other cast confronted him about things. But I was not a part of that. I wasn’t there for it, so I can’t really speak to it.
There was drama on set, and I witnessed it and I heard a lot about it. And he sometimes didn’t come in prepared. But he would show up and, without any preparation whatsoever, direct the most awesome scene that he was able to put together because he’s such a good filmmaker.”
On the other hand, as the topic shifted to Ratner and her experience working with him on X-Men: The Last Stand, Romijn didn’t have many kind words to say. The Ugly Betty star admitted that it was no secret that she despised working with Ratner.
Still, because Romijn claimed that Ratner got what was coming to him with the sexual assault accusations, she doesn’t feel it’s necessary to call him out, which is one of the reasons why she didn’t speak up regarding the #MeToo movement when it finally exposed him and Singer for their past transgressions.
“I was not happy working with him. But he’s been cancelled. I haven’t spoken up about anything with regard to #MeToo, because I had two major issues with two directors I’ve worked with – and both of them already got theirs, one of them being Brett Ratner. I didn’t feel like I needed to say anything. I know the two people that I worked with had it coming, and they got theirs.”
Singer and Ratner have yet to address Romijn’s recent remarks, and it is unclear if they will.
