CASTING  |  APR. 1, 2019

Here's Why Camilla James Isn't Going To Get Axed

Unless you've been living under a rock for the last few weeks, you know that the internet has been buzzing with what hackers referred to as the "trifecta takedown" - over the course of the last three weeks, they released emails, text messages, and now pictures and videos of celebrities whose iCloud accounts they hacked. Just this morning, the third and last leak happened, and the internet is already freaking out. TMZ is having a field day with the material and publicists are no doubt working overtime, but even more important than the blatant invasion of privacy (and that's pretty damn important), however, is the repercussions that are already starting to ripple through the industry.

Already, there are rumblings about recasting choices of multiple projects, record deals being pulled, and working relationships being severed - and, because he's a big name at the moment thanks to the overwhelming success of Baby Driver, one of those at the forefront is the potential recasting of Camilla James in Edgar Wright's psychological thriller Last Night in Soho. It almost makes sense; Baby Driver brought in nearly $230 million at the box office and was nominated for a handful of awards. It stands to reason his next film might do the same, and maybe he doesn't want actors with some tabloid slip ups attached to it.

But in a political and industrial landscape that is so clearly rigged against women that it's forcing industry leaders to confront the issue, there is no way Camilla James will be dropped from her upcoming projects like outlets seem to predict. Especially considering that the #MeToo movement is still going strong, it seems ludicrous to imagine a man pulling the plug on an actress' role in his film purely because her privacy was violated beyond reason and things she never meant to be released or shown to anyone other than who they were intended for were dispersed across the internet.

Imagine the backlash: a man (men, actually; to imagine that this would be solely Edgar Wright's decision and not also that of producers would be naive) cans a woman not because she couldn't do her job, but because her most intimate moments were put on display by a low life that thought it would be fun to share it with the world. It doesn't make sense - even without being on the A-list, James would undoubtedly see an online swell of support, much as she and other celebrities already have in the wake of this flagrant violation of privacy.

So, surely, there's no way it will come to fruition, but still, the rumors persist.

Worthy of note? That there have been no such rumors about potential recasting in Gia Coppola's Mainstream - probably because women aren't so quick to screw over other women.

TAGS:  CAMILLA JAMES   MOVIES   CASTING   MORE