James Toback's On
James Toback
In the wake of the Harvey Weinstein revelations  one of the first things I thought was: "Who's next?"  My wife Anna Scott  a public radio reporter for KCRW in Los Angeles  had an answer: James Toback .
 She  is one of what appears to be a very long list of women who have been accosted by the New York-based writer and director behind films like Black and White  Two Girls and a Guy and The Pick Up Artist. My wife's own gruesome story dates back to about 18 years ago  when she was a senior in high school. Toback vaguely offered her a film role and then proceeded to talk to her about masturbation and pubic hair. Fortunately  she managed to extricate herself as the conversation moved to the prospect of heading to a hotel room somewhere  but she was still left feeling humiliated.
As a reporter for LA Weekly who's covered sexual misconduct cases before  I began reaching out to a number of women who had tweeted about their own  Toback  experiences. I spoke with a total of nine of them  all of whom revealed similar stories of unwanted sexual advances from  Toback   a mere fraction of the 38 who initially talked to reporter Glenn Whipp of the Los Angeles Times. Since the story first published  hundreds of others  including Selma Blair  Rachel McAdams and Julianne Moore  have reportedly come forward. Most of the stories I heard followed a similar plot.
Ambika Leigh says she met Toback in 2008  when she was a 30-year-old aspiring actress and waitress at the Polo Lounge in the Beverly Hills Hotel  and that he told her he was a director looking for an actress to collaborate with on his next film. According to Leigh  they would meet a number of times over the next two months  for lunch or dinner  and just talk. After dinner one night  she says   Toback  invited her to a house where he was staying. She says  Toback  told her  he  wanted to do some "acting exercises" with her  in order to build trust and establish a bond that  he  said was important to  his  filmmaking process. She was reluctant at first  but finally agreed.
" He  sat me on a chair and kneeled down in front of me " she recalls. "Before I knew what was happening   he  was humping my shin. Humping me like a dog. It was so shocking." She says she found the act more pathetic than threatening. "I started laughing at  him  " she says. "And then  quickly   he  came in  his  pants. I could feel the warmth on my leg.  He  totally ejaculated."
She says  Toback  began analyzing her body  commenting on how  he  would photograph her  what parts of her  he  would allow the camera to rest upon. Next  she says   he  asked her to sit on a chair and began telling her about other actresses  he 'd slept with  how it was part of  his  process. After what seemed like hours of just talking  she says  he  walked over – still fully dressed – crouched down  and started rubbing  his  crotch against her leg. "I looked at  him  " says Kamin  who then asked  him   "'Are you trying to get off?' And  he  looked at me and said  'Absolutely.' I just said  'No  I'm out.' I grabbed my clothes and left."
I reached out to  Toback  through  his  agent  Jeff Berg  who has since parted ways with the director.  Toback  called me back on Tuesday  October 17th  four days before the Times story was published.  He  asked me if I was recording the call. I wasn't.  He  told me  he  was  and that  he  wouldn't talk to  me  if I didn't – I wouldn't believe how many times  he 'd been misquoted   he  said. I told  him  I'd figure something out  and  he  said  he 'd call back in a few hours. And so  he  did.
 James Toback : Lemme be really clear about this. I don't want to get a pat on the back  but I've struggled seriously to make movies with very little money  that I write  that I direct  that mean my life to  me . The idea that I would offer a part to anyone for any other reason than that he or she was gonna be the best of anyone I could find is so disgusting to  me . And anyone who says it is a lying cocksucker or cunt or both. Can I be any clearer than that?
Toback: Anyone who says that  I just want to spit in his or her fucking face. I'm sitting here with Sienna Miller. By the way  no one who's ever worked with  me  would ever say anything like that. No one. But I've just finished a movie with Sienna  which you should see  and help to get out there  called The Private Life of a Modern Woman. But here  she's sitting right here  so just say hello to her.
[Off-the-record conversations take place  before the phone is passed back to  Toback .]
 Toback : No  seriously  I find it offensive and insulting and disgusting  that people… Because it's the opposite of the way I work. I don't give my best friends parts unless they deserve them. Ever.
 Toback : Give me one name.
 Toback : OK  that is a total lie. I never heard of the person before. And then who was the other one? First of all  that description wouldn't fit anyone  but I never heard that name before in my life. And believe me  I would remember it  because it's a very unusual name.
 Toback : Anything like that is nauseating and disgusting. And I would never say anything like 'I'll get you a film role.' It's too stupid to dignify. It's pathetic lies. It's just too fucking embarrassing and idiotic. And if I were you  I wouldn't go repeating it  unless you really knew it were true  because it isn't. So that's all I have to say. This is not worth wasting another second on.
 Toback : OK.
Shortly after I hung up   Toback  called back. This time  I didn't record the call. He told me he thought my questions were "really rude " and that I should talk to someone he's actually worked with. "You can speak to a multitude of people I've worked with " he said  "you will never hear anything but a good word. To ignore that  and to instead quote people whose names I don't know  it's not a good way to deal. It's beneath good journalistic standards."
In the wake of the Harvey Weinstein revelations  one of the first things I thought was: "Who's next?"  My wife Anna Scott  a public radio reporter for KCRW in Los Angeles  had an answer: [TGT] .
 She  is one of what appears to be a very long list of women who have been accosted by the New York-based writer and director behind films like Black and White  Two Girls and a Guy and The Pick Up Artist. My wife's own gruesome story dates back to about 18 years ago  when she was a senior in high school. [TGT] vaguely offered her a film role and then proceeded to talk to her about masturbation and pubic hair. Fortunately  she managed to extricate herself as the conversation moved to the prospect of heading to a hotel room somewhere  but she was still left feeling humiliated.
As a reporter for LA Weekly who's covered sexual misconduct cases before  I began reaching out to a number of women who had tweeted about their own  [TGT]experiences. I spoke with a total of nine of them  all of whom revealed similar stories of unwanted sexual advances from  Toback   a mere fraction of the 38 who initially talked to reporter Glenn Whipp of the Los Angeles Times. Since the story first published  hundreds of others  including Selma Blair  Rachel McAdams and Julianne Moore  have reportedly come forward. Most of the stories I heard followed a similar plot.
Ambika Leigh says she met [TGT] in 2008  when she was a 30-year-old aspiring actress and waitress at the Polo Lounge in the Beverly Hills Hotel  and that he told her he was a director looking for an actress to collaborate with on his next film. According to Leigh  they would meet a number of times over the next two months  for lunch or dinner  and just talk. After dinner one night  she says   Toback  invited her to a house where he was staying. She says  Toback  told her  he  wanted to do some "acting exercises" with her  in order to build trust and establish a bond that  he  said was important to  his  filmmaking process. She was reluctant at first  but finally agreed.
" He  sat me on a chair and kneeled down in front of me " she recalls. "Before I knew what was happening   he  was humping my shin. Humping me like a dog. It was so shocking." She says she found the act more pathetic than threatening. "I started laughing at  him  " she says. "And then  quickly   he  came in  his  pants. I could feel the warmth on my leg.  He  totally ejaculated."
She says  Toback  began analyzing her body  commenting on how  he  would photograph her  what parts of her  he  would allow the camera to rest upon. Next  she says   he  asked her to sit on a chair and began telling her about other actresses  he 'd slept with  how it was part of  his  process. After what seemed like hours of just talking  she says  he  walked over – still fully dressed – crouched down  and started rubbing  his  crotch against her leg. "I looked at  him  " says Kamin  who then asked  him   "'Are you trying to get off?' And  he  looked at me and said  'Absolutely.' I just said  'No  I'm out.' I grabbed my clothes and left."
I reached out to  Toback  through  his  agent  Jeff Berg  who has since parted ways with the director.  Toback  called me back on Tuesday  October 17th  four days before the Times story was published.  He  asked me if I was recording the call. I wasn't.  He  told me  he  was  and that  he  wouldn't talk to  me  if I didn't – I wouldn't believe how many times  he 'd been misquoted   he  said. I told  him  I'd figure something out  and  he  said  he 'd call back in a few hours. And so  he  did.
 James Toback : Lemme be really clear about this. I don't want to get a pat on the back  but I've struggled seriously to make movies with very little money  that I write  that I direct  that mean my life to  me . The idea that I would offer a part to anyone for any other reason than that he or she was gonna be the best of anyone I could find is so disgusting to  me . And anyone who says it is a lying cocksucker or cunt or both. Can I be any clearer than that?
Toback: Anyone who says that  I just want to spit in his or her fucking face. I'm sitting here with Sienna Miller. By the way  no one who's ever worked with  me  would ever say anything like that. No one. But I've just finished a movie with Sienna  which you should see  and help to get out there  called The Private Life of a Modern Woman. But here  she's sitting right here  so just say hello to her.
[Off-the-record conversations take place  before the phone is passed back to [TGT] .]
 Toback : No  seriously  I find it offensive and insulting and disgusting  that people… Because it's the opposite of the way I work. I don't give my best friends parts unless they deserve them. Ever.
 [TGT] : Give me one name.
 Toback : OK  that is a total lie. I never heard of the person before. And then who was the other one? First of all  that description wouldn't fit anyone  but I never heard that name before in my life. And believe me  I would remember it  because it's a very unusual name.
 Toback : Anything like that is nauseating and disgusting. And I would never say anything like 'I'll get you a film role.' It's too stupid to dignify. It's pathetic lies. It's just too fucking embarrassing and idiotic. And if I were you  I wouldn't go repeating it  unless you really knew it were true  because it isn't. So that's all I have to say. This is not worth wasting another second on.
 Toback : OK.
Shortly after I hung up   Toback  called back. This time  I didn't record the call. He told me he thought my questions were "really rude " and that I should talk to someone he's actually worked with. "You can speak to a multitude of people I've worked with " he said  "you will never hear anything but a good word. To ignore that  and to instead quote people whose names I don't know  it's not a good way to deal. It's beneath good journalistic standards."