Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston says there could be a way back for Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey following allegations of sexual assault.
He said it would “take time… and tremendous contrition on their part”. “If they were to show us that they… are truly sorry and are making amends, not defending their actions but asking for forgiveness.
“Maybe down the road, there is room for that [a way back]. Maybe it’s possible,” the star told the BBC.
“It would be up to us to determine case by case whether or not this person deserves a second chance,” he added.
Cranston said that anyone found guilty of such abuses would have to acknowledge that “they have a deeply rooted psychological and emotional problem that takes years to mend” and would have to be willing to “put the work in” in order to see their career rehabilitated.
The 61-year-old, who found fame on the TV series Malcolm in the Middle and Breaking Bad, told the BBC’s arts editor Will Gompertz: “Sexual predatory behaviour is not a Hollywood problem, it’s a societal problem and we’re seeing that everywhere.
“What’s so great [is] that it’s being exposed. Young men and women should not have to tolerate being mistreated. We’re an enlightened society, enough already.
“I don’t want my daughter to be raised in an environment where she has to monitor her behaviour and avoid [walking past] a construction site,” he added.
“Let’s get rid of these people and that behaviour, it doesn’t belong in our society.”
Cranston also spoke about the controversial issue of gun control in the US, following several mass shootings in October.
“[We’ve had] massive killings, then the uproar, upset – and then it calms down. The NRA gun lobby is immeasurably strong. It’s so sad. It’s crushing to me actually, as an American, to accept that this is a way of life.
“It’s just unfathomable to me and yet it’s real… the ultimate disrespect is to take some innocent’s life.
“If we’re not repulsed by that, what are we repulsed at?”
Reflecting on American society, Cranston said “anger” was part of the reason Donald Trump became president.
“It’s a legitimate feeling to feel disenfranchised and not listened to, and they [Trump voters] latched on to his message of supreme accomplishment.
“He didn’t burden himself with truth – don’t worry about that, just listen to the message. He has this compulsion to need to talk, to feel like he’s in control.
“A person doesn’t always need to talk to be in control of the situation. Just be smart – sometimes being quiet and introspective is a good thing.”
Cranston is starring at the National Theatre in London in an adaptation of the Oscar-winning film Network, which depicts a dystopian media landscape where opinion triumphs over fact.
