Amazon executive Roy Price. Image: Kathy Hutchins/Shutterstock
Roy Price, vice-president of Amazon Studios and global head of Prime Video content, has been suspended following harassment claims.
Hollywood is still processing the recent Harvey Weinstein sexual predation scandal, as actors continue to share their stories of harassment, intimidation and assault.
Actor Rose McGowan has spearheaded this movement, and has regained access to her Twitter account following a controversial suspension.
Now, Amazon Studios executive Roy Price has been suspended following a harassment claim from a producer within the company.
Price put on ice
The Hollywood Reporter received a statement from an Amazon spokesperson who said that Price was put on leave “effective immediately”. The spokesperson also revealed that the company is reviewing its options regarding projects that are ongoing with The Weinstein Company, suggesting these may be put on ice or scrapped entirely.
Albert Cheng, COO of Amazon Studios, will be taking the reins in Price’s absence.
Producer Isa Hackett, who worked on Amazon’s The Man in the High Castle and Philip K Dick’s Electric Dreams, claimed she was harassed by Price.
Producer’s harassment claim
The alleged incident occurred in July 2015 when Hackett attended a dinner with the staff and cast of The Man in the High Castle. There was a party after the dinner in the W Hotel that Price asked Hackett to attend with him.
She said that in the taxi there, Price propositioned her and used explicit language towards her. He apparently didn’t relent for the entire journey, even when she explained she was a married lesbian with two children.
Hackett went to Amazon executives immediately to report the incident.
Amazon said: “We expect people to set high standards for themselves; we encourage people to raise any concerns and we make it a priority to investigate and address them. Accordingly, we looked closely at this specific concern and addressed it directly with those involved.”
The current sexual harassment conversation in terms of Amazon and Hollywood mirrors the Uber scandal of summer 2017, when 215 harassment claims were made. This string of claims stemmed from a blog post from former Uber employee Susan Fowler, who described being sexually harassed by a senior manager only to be told by the company’s HR department that he was a “high performer” and should be left alone.
Amazon executive Roy Price. Image: Kathy Hutchins/Shutterstock
