By Andrew Dalton, Entertainment Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --The president of the motion picture academy is denying he engaged in sexual misconduct.
In a memo sent to staff of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, President John Bailey said an allegation that he attempted to touch a woman inappropriately a decade ago on a movie set is untrue.
Media reports linking him to misconduct are false and "and have served only to tarnish my 50-year career," Bailey, a cinematographer whose credits include "Groundhog Day," ''The Big Chill" and "As Good as It Gets," said in the note.
A person with knowledge of the memo said it was sent to academy staff Friday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
The academy itself has refused to acknowledge the existence of the investigation, saying that it keeps complaints confidential to protect all parties. It will not comment until reviews are completed and reported to its Board of Governors, the academy said.
"Because I know the facts, I expect they will conclude that there is no basis to take any action against me," Bailey's memo said. "While there have been well-documented instances of individuals in this industry not treating women with respect, I am not one of them. I care deeply about women's issues and support equal treatment and access for all individuals working in this profession."
The investigation comes as the academy has sought to make the fight against sexual misconduct a central goal after the wave of revelations beginning in October that brought down producer Harvey Weinstein and spread throughout the industry.
Bailey was two months into his presidency in October when Weinstein became just the second person removed from the academy for misconduct.
At the time, Bailey said in a memo to members that the academy "can be a part of a larger initiative to define standards of behavior and to support the vulnerable women and men who may be at personal and career risk because of violations of ethical standards by their peers."
The academy then adopted its first code of conduct in December, which stipulated that the academy is no place for "people who abuse their status, power or influence in a manner that violates standards of decency," and made it easier to suspend or expel members.
Bailey was elected to a one-year term by the academy's Board of Governors in August, succeeding Cheryl Boone Isaacs, who had held the post for the maximum of four years and was highly visible on the role. Bailey was an academy governor representing the cinematography branch for 15 years before taking on the presidency.
AP Television Writer Lynn Elber contributed to this report.
Rom-Com Mainstay Hugh Grant Shifts To The Dark Side and He’s Never Been Happier
After some difficulties connecting to a Zoom, Hugh Grant eventually opts to just phone instead.
"Sorry about that," he apologizes. "Tech hell." Grant is no lover of technology. Smart phones, for example, he calls the "devil's tinderbox."
"I think they're killing us. I hate them," he says. "I go on long holidays from them, three or four days at at time. Marvelous."
Hell, and our proximity to it, is a not unrelated topic to Grant's new film, "Heretic." In it, two young Mormon missionaries (Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher) come knocking on a door they'll soon regret visiting. They're welcomed in by Mr. Reed (Grant), an initially charming man who tests their faith in theological debate, and then, in much worse things.
After decades in romantic comedies, Grant has spent the last few years playing narcissists, weirdos and murders, often to the greatest acclaim of his career. But in "Heretic," a horror thriller from A24, Grant's turn to the dark side reaches a new extreme. The actor who once charmingly stammered in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and who danced to the Pointer Sisters in "Love Actually" is now doing heinous things to young people in a basement.
"It was a challenge," Grant says. "I think human beings need challenges. It makes your beer taste better in the evening if you've climbed a mountain. He was just so wonderfully (expletive)-up."
"Heretic," which opens in theaters Friday, is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, co-writers of "A Quiet Place." In Grant's hands, Mr. Reed is a divinely good baddie — a scholarly creep whose wry monologues pull from a wide range of references, including, fittingly, Radiohead's "Creep."
In an interview, Grant spoke about these and other facets of his character, his journey... Read More