The infamous casting couch has haunted Hollywood for decades, and countless talents—men and women, from every corner of the globe—have spoken out about the lecherous power plays that lurked behind studio doors.
Many of these stars refused to trade sex for a role, while a few, under pressure, succumbed. What sets the people on this list apart is that they finally put a name to the predator and told the world.
Casting Couch: Why It Still Matters
Understanding the casting couch phenomenon helps illuminate the systemic abuse that has plagued the entertainment industry. By naming the perpetrators, these brave individuals have sparked conversation, accountability, and change.
10 Corinne Calvet
Paramount Pictures producer Hal Wallis kept his eye on French‑born actress Corinne Calvet even after it became obvious she lacked the star quality of Greta Garbo or Ingrid Bergman. In her 1983 autobiography Has Corinne Been a Good Girl?, Calvet recounts Wallis demanding sex in exchange for the lead in the 1949 film Rope of Sand. She told him she was married; he retorted that her marriage was merely a publicity stunt. Wallis dropped her option in 1953. In a bizarre act of revenge, Calvet slept with him while she was ill; the next day Wallis caught a strep throat. She sent him four dozen roses, a get‑well card, and a cheeky note promising “something worse” next time.
9 Theresa Russell
Theresa Russell says producer Sam Spiegel tried to blackmail her during casting for the 1976 film The Last Tycoon. Spiegel allegedly warned that refusing his sexual advances would ruin her career. Russell flat‑out the proposition, replying, “If it meant the end of my career, then I don’t have a career.” Remarkably, she still landed the role. She later noted that the incident didn’t affect her portrayal of Marilyn Monroe in the 1985 film Insignificance, emphasizing that the two experiences were unrelated.
8 Bruce Robinson
Before becoming known for directing Withnail & I, actor‑turned‑writer Bruce Robinson landed the role of Benvolio in Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 Romeo and Juliet after an unsettling encounter. Robinson recounted on a 1998 episode of The Ruby Wax Show that Zeffirelli performed oral sex on him during a private visit. The director, fresh from a trip, kissed Robinson on the couch and later gave him a French kiss. Robinson, who identified as straight, felt pressured to comply because the part meant a big break.
7 Jenny McCarthy
Jenny McCarthy alleges that Steven Seagal ordered her to strip during a casting call for his 1995 movie Under Siege 2. After inviting her onto his couch, Seagal asked, “So, you were Playmate of the Year?” He then demanded she remove her dress. McCarthy told him to “rent [her] Playboy video,” began to cry, and fled. Seagal warned her not to speak about the incident. Nine other women later echoed the harassment claim in a 1998 Penthouse feature. Subsequent lawsuits—Patricia Nichols in 2001 and Kayden Nguyen in 2010—raised further allegations, though Seagal’s legal team denied the accusations.
6 Goldie Hawn
In her 2005 bestseller A Lotus Grows in the Mud, Goldie Hawn recounts a shocking audition with cartoonist Al Capp, creator of Li’l Abner. Capp invited her to his New York apartment, promising an acting coach if the audition went well. After she poured tea, he appeared in a silk dressing gown, then exposed a flaccid penis against his wooden leg. He repeatedly asked Hawn to lift her dress higher, eventually demanding to see her legs. When she tried to leave, he dismissed her, suggesting she marry a Jewish dentist to get ahead. Hawn later realized the butler and doorman were complicit.
5 Joan Collins
Marilyn Monroe warned Joan Collins that studio chief Darryl Zanuck might use the casting couch to pressure her. Zanuck allegedly told Collins he was “Hollywood’s biggest” and had the stamina to “go all night.” Shocked and speechless, Collins broke free and fled the set. She believes the couch mentality limited her career, noting she missed the lead in 1963’s Cleopatra after refusing to “be nice” to key players.
4 Dame Helen Mirren
British star Dame Helen Mirren recalls being humiliated by director Michael Winner, the man behind Death Wish. During a 1964 casting call, Winner ordered Mirren to turn around and display her body, treating her “like a piece of meat.” Mirren called Winner a “loser,” describing the experience as mortifying and infuriating.
3 Judy Garland
Producer Louis B. Mayer of MGM was notorious for groping Judy Garland from ages 16 to 20. He would praise her voice, then touch her left breast, saying, “This is where you sing from.” After four years of harassment, Garland finally told him to keep his hands off, demanding, “If you want to tell me where I sing from, just point.” Mayer reportedly burst into tears, lamenting that he’d treated her like a father.
2 Rita Hayworth
Columbia Pictures president Harry Cohn relentlessly pursued Rita Hayworth after she rebuffed his casting couch advances. Cohn’s obsession escalated to threats, spied‑on dressing rooms, and attempts to coerce her onto a vacation trip where he expected sex. He even ordered his chauffeur to throttle her future husband, James Hill, when Hill mistook Cohn for a cleaning man on Christmas Day. Hayworth’s refusal forced Cohn to resort to intimidation, including leaving bathroom doors ajar so he could watch her.
1 Marilyn Monroe
Harry Cohn also set his sights on Marilyn Monroe. When she turned him down, Cohn erupted, demanding why “that fat pig” got a part in the 1948 film Ladies of the Chorus. Monroe later told a story about Cohn inviting her onto his yacht and trying to force sex. She walked out, and Cohn warned, “This is your last chance.” The next contract renewal saw her fired. Monroe admitted she sometimes traded sex for roles, saying she’d gone hungry and slept in cars to land work, but she also confessed, “I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t.”