Her boss, an executive, is on the line.
But writer-director Kitty Green says the film is after something bigger.
(Indeed, Weinsteins vicious temper and aggressive managerial stylewere already infamouslong before the sexual abuse scandal broke.)
Credit: Ty Johnson/Bleecker Street
Theyre really excited by it all, and the opportunity to learn.
But some are working to break the cycle.
August later co-hosted a town hall on the issue and haswritten extensivelyabout iton his blog.
(He declined EWs request for comment.)
Was making $500/wk.
Became homeless and had to sleep in my car.
I then got a $50 raise a week,another wrote.
Together, theyve spearheaded a campaign advocating for fair pay and better working conditions.
According to Mangan, those conditions have scarcely changed since she herself was an assistant almost a decade ago.
We treat them like indentured servants, Mangan says.
And it gets couched under this bulls about paying your dues.
Whathaschanged, she says, is that theres been a wave of protests and people becoming activists.
People feel empowered by other people speaking truth to power.
Something else has changed, too.
One would also usually hold such a job for a relatively short time before being promoted.
(Hollywood titans who had their starts as assistants include Lucasfilm presidentKathleen Kennedyand DreamWorks co-founderJeffrey Katzenberg.)
(Investopediacalculates a $50,000 or greater yearly income is needed to live comfortably in L.A. without roommates.)
Dont actually try your best, because people will only see you as an assistant.
And it was true.
For people of color, the barriers are even steeper.
Higher-ups in the industry are almost all-white, and three non-white assistants tell EW advancement opportunities often seem remote.
Lobbying her bosses for a promotion, she says, was like talking into a black hole.
She had been actively seeking other opportunities for several months when she was finally promoted in December.
Many non-white candidates cannot even afford to take assistant jobs, shut out by the stubbornly low pay.
(Respondents in the #PayUp survey were overwhelmingly white.)
The jobs physically demanding nature also tends to exclude candidates with disabilities.
And social events are part of your job.
You have to hobnob with richer people and act like you belong.
Im always aware of the class distinction.
The strain is not only financial, however, as assistants horror stories indicate.
It can break you.
It can really make you suffer, Mangan says.
As a person whos dealt with depression and anxiety issues, the years of being an assistant didnt help.
It was paralyzing at times.
Youre always going to be incentivized to take it, Roger says.
According to real-life assistants, HR personnel often make poor confidants.
Its hard to see them as your allies.
With the increased attention brought to assistants plight, it seems real change is beginning to manifest.
Still, many assistants remain doubtful.
I dont know that it ever will really change, Doug says of agencies abusive culture.
I dont know what the alternative even looks like, another executive assistant says with a rueful laugh.
Because it really is preventing women getting their foot in the door from the very bottom.
Maybe, just maybe,The Assistantcan help jump-start that process.
Powerful people come out of [the movie] a little shell-shocked, Green says with a laugh.
Ive seen people come out going, Wow, okay.
Im gonna start treating everyone better.
Im gonna buy my assistant lunch tomorrow.
