A year after Harvey Weinstein allegations, acting schools change script on sexual harassment

The head of a renowned acting school in Los Angelessays ayear after the allegations against producer Harvey Weinsteinsurfaced publicly,she's revamped the way she coaches her students when it comes tosexual harassment.

Lining the walls of Margie Haber's studio are dozens of headshotsbelonging toformer pupils who include some of Hollywood's biggest stars of the past several decades HalleBerry, Brad Pitt, Vince Vaughn, Tiffany Haddish, Pierce Brosnan, Jenifer Lewis and many others.

"In those days, I didn't really address anything [about sexual harassment]," said Haber, who's been teachingfor more than 40 years."And now we talk about it. It's very open now."

She admits she was "complacent" in the past and didn't know much about it:"It's been an educational time, this past year."

Haber's studio is among a bunch of acting schools including some in Canada making changesto incorporate a more open dialogue on a previously taboo subject.

Accusations mountedagainst Weinsteinfollowing an explosiveNew York Times investigationpublished on Oct. 5, 2017. Soon after, misconduct claims became public againstother industry giantsincludingKevin Spacey, comedianLouis C.K. and filmmakerJames Toback.

Haber said it changed the way she teaches her classes.

Changing the methods

She's now introduced intimacy exercises in her workshops to help actors share difficult career and life experiences. She helps her students set personal boundaries before auditioning and encourages both women and mento speak up when something feels wrong not just for themselves, but for each other.

Inside one of Haber'sin-demand workshops for up-and-coming actors, students say the message istranslating in practice as well.

"Working on set, I've seen more people watching their words and their actions, more than before," said onestudent,Jason Mercado.

Rushi Kota, who has a recurring role on Grey's Anatomy, said: "Everybody isso hyper-aware."

Bringing in an intimacy coach

At Ryerson University's School of Performance in Toronto, sexual harassment guidelines have been modified since the Weinstein allegations, but the changes were also the result of student-led demand.

During rehearsals for Margaret Atwood's play,The Penelopiad, one of the leads in the all-female performance said it's not the only time students have had to flagchanging norms over the last yearto their instructors.

"Some of the content deals with rape in this show and in other shows that we've done," said fourth-year student Alyssa Pothier."A lot because of this movement, we've been more comfortable going to our professors and going, 'Hey, how is this being addressed? Are all the actors being spoken to about this? What are their opinions? What are our opinions?'"

As a result of that conversation, students successfully lobbiedtheir instructors to bring in an intimacy coachto help choreograph sensitive scenes.

Intimacy coachinghelpactors deal with sex scenes, for example,and buildsafe and comfortable relationships with co-stars. It's a relatively new practice in North America that's gaining popularity because of concerns about harassment and abuse of power.

Peggy Shannon, the school's chair, saysthe past year hasbeen a learning process for trainers as much as for students.

"It's a fine line," Shannon said."Wewant them to push boundaries. We want them to take artistic risks, but we still want them to feel safe."

At the University of Calgary's School of Creative and Performing Arts, assistant professor Christine Brubakersays policies around sexual harassment have been put in place, but change doesn't always comefrom the top down.

"I would say in many ways it'scoming from the young people themselves, the students," said the actor-director. "Perhaps maybe leadership is trying to catch up in some ways."

Adding 'self-worth' to the curriculum

Young actors also need tools to develop and maintain "a strong sense of self and self-esteem,"said Canadian actor-producer Freya Ravensbergen, co-founder of the anti-sexual misconductorganizationAfterMeToo.

"You really need that to survive in this industry,tobe able to take all the rejectionand feel that utter desperation and vulnerability when you are looking for jobs," she said."[Schools]really need to be teaching how important our self-worth and self-value is."

'I teach power now'

Back in Los Angeles, Haber jokes that she can get a table at any restaurant in Hollywood not because of her fame in the industry though she has some of that, too but because manyof the city's popular eateries are full of servers who are aspiring actors she teaches.

"Ninetyper cent of people can't afford to be an actor," she says, so side jobs with flexible hoursare the only way to make ends meet. That'soften when desperation can drivedecisions at auditions and meetingsthat people might later regret, she says.

An actor or anyone has the right to question what's going on, to not sit there and feel that they're at the bottom.- Margie Haber, Los Angeles acting coach

But that appears to be shifting as well. Whereas actors havecome to her in the past with complaints about sexual harassment against managers and casting directors, she says:"I haven't had anything reported to me over the past year versus other times."

As students in her classwork ona scene fromThelma & Louisefitting not only because of its rare female-driven script but also because it gavePitt his breakthrough role in the business after working with her Habersaysone of her key lessons for actors islearning theirown value.

"I talk about power a great deal andI teach power now," she said. "An actor or anyone has the right to question what's going on, to not sit there and feel that they're at the bottom.

"To have theirvoice," she said. "I don't think we understood what that was a few years back."

With files from CBC's Deana Sumanac and Nigel Hunt