Roman Polanski's wife refuses to join Oscars body


FE Team | Published: July 08, 2018 14:01:34 | Updated: July 09, 2018 18:16:55


Emmanuelle Seigner, Roman Polanski's wife, refuses to join The Academy. Internet photo

Roman Polanski's wife has rejected an invitation to become a member of the awards body behind the Oscars, extended weeks after it expelled her husband.

French actress Emmanuelle Seigner accused the Academy of "insufferable hypocrisy" over the incident.

Polanski, who faces historic statutory rape charges in the US, was ejected from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in May.

The 84-year-old director is currently suing the Academy over the expulsion.

Seigner, who was one of 928 artists invited to join the Academy as part of a bid to boost diversity last month, gave her response in an open letter published in France's Le Journal du Dimanche newspaper.

She said: "I have always been a feminist. But how can I ignore the fact that a few weeks ago the Academy expelled my husband, Roman Polanski, in an attempt to appease the zeitgeist - the very same Academy which in 2002 awarded him an Oscar for The Pianist! A curious case of amnesia!

"The Academy probably thinks I am enough of a spineless, social climbing actress that I would forget that I have been married to one of the world's greatest directors for the past 29 years."

Seigner has worked with her husband on films including Bitter Moon, Venus in Fur and The Ninth Gate.

The 52-year-old has also appeared in The Man Who Laughs and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.

Why was Polanski expelled?

In December the Academy issued a new code of conduct for its members that outlined its plans to address sexual harassment in the film industry.

It came in response to the allegations of sexual misconduct against Harvey Weinstein and others in the ensuing #MeToo campaign.

Academy CEO Dawn Hudson wrote a letter to all 8,427 members telling them they would be expected to abide by the new guidelines.

"There is no place in the Academy for people who abuse their status, power or influence in a manner that violates recognised standards of decency," she wrote.

Polanski admitted unlawful sex with Samantha Geimer, who was a minor in 1977, and served 42 days in prison, said a BBC news report.

The Rosemary's Baby director subsequently fled the US over concern that a plea bargain deal would be scrapped.

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