Responsible for meeting the wildest demands of their famous employers, they enjoy minimal protection and never count their hours. THE: Keeper looked at the difficulties faced by these shadow workers.
Did he have a choice? asks Keeper . In an investigation into personal assistants in Hollywood, published on Sunday September 8, the British daily returns to the story of Matthew Perry’s former assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa. After the death of the actor, who succumbed to a ketamine overdose in October 2023, the employee who was accused of having a role in the disappearance became the subject of an investigation. He pleaded guilty to one count of “conspiracy to distribute ketamine resulting in death.”
He also admitted to supplying drugs to the hero friends, and injected it into him, including the fatal dose on October 23, 2023. And this, at the express request of Matthew Perry, he said. Now Kenneth Iwamasa faces up to 15 years in prison. THE: Keeper However, it was wondered to what extent the employee was acting under duress. The paper actually reminded us how personal assistants to Hollywood celebrities operate at the heart of a complex, even toxic, power dynamic.
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Drowning in narcissism
These young men and women, who dream of joining the world of glitz, between lavish parties and celebrity-filled movie shoots, are subjected to a lot of abuse, according to the English media. Lacking a specific work environment, they often struggle to find a balance between their professional and personal lives. And they have to meet the craziest demands of their bosses, like “give them lunch from a restaurant thousands of miles away.”
Not to mention the verbal and/or sexual harassment that assistants are sometimes subjected to, he adds Keeper. In some cases, these shadow figures are even forced to break the law, such as supplying drugs to their employers, at the risk of being fired or blacklisted if they refuse. It is noteworthy that the daily collected a testimony of a person from the music industry who has taken many personal assistants under his wing over the years. “Emotionally, physically and mentally, you’re immersed in their narcissism,” an anonymous source said of these brutal bosses. You are a character in their world, they are not your character.”
A sentiment shared by Rowena Chew, a former employee of Harvey Weinstein. “As an assistant, you are in an ambiguous situation. you have almost no power but disproportionate responsibilities,” he wrote. New York Times August 21: “My job was to be both invisible and everywhere at the same time.” Especially since some Hollywood experts in the industry are known for acting like tyrants. As producer Scott Rubin (Lemmings), through which 119 assistants would pass in five years.
The Trial of Robert Blake
A relationship so vague that aides go so far as to defend their bosses in court. And this despite their crimes. As evidenced by the story of actor Robert Blake’s assistant Darin Goodall. In 2005, during the trial of an actor accused of murdering his wife, an employee disrupted a key element of the case. Robert Blake was actually suspected of vomiting out of guilt on the night of the murder. What his personal assistant denied in court, insisting that his boss “always” had dinner. Robert Blake was later acquitted.
A trap Michelle Blaine, Phil Spector’s assistant, refused to fall into. Accused of murdering Lana Clarkson, a House of Blues host he had brought home in 2003, the producer then proposed to his employee. Thus, he doubts that he cannot testify against himself in court. In the United States, a woman cannot be forced to blame her husband, said The Keeper. An offer that Michelle Blaine turned down.
Assistant to Kevin Spacey
Occasionally, however, some personal assistants find their way into the light. Like Sibi Blazic, once in the employ of Winona Ryder, who became a stuntwoman. She also married actor Christian Bale in 2000. Dana Brunetti, a former assistant to Kevin Spacey, now serves as producer. In his honor. two Oscar nominations for the films Social network (2010) and Captain Phillips (2013). A more enviable fate than her former boss, who became persona non grata in Hollywood after being the subject of multiple sexual harassment allegations.
Source: Le Figaro
