Marlee Matlin: What The Response To Her Abuse Allegations Against William Hurt Tells Us About How Society Views Female Survivors – And How Society And The Court System Have Failed To Protect Women
In 2009, Marlee Matlin bravely opened up about the abuse she’d endured at the hands of her ex-boyfriend, William Hurt, whom she dated for two years in the 80’s after meeting on the set of Children of a Lesser God, the 1986 drama which won her an Academy Award. The abuse was something she heavily detailed in her memoir, I’ll Scream If I Want To. She stated that when she won an Oscar in 1987 for her lead performance, which was presented to her by Hurt, she was afraid. She was afraid to have to face her then-boyfriend at such close proximity. By that point, he’d already began to abuse her. But at the ceremony, he’d already put on a facade of a supportive boyfriend, even signed her name. Following her revelation, she faces a lot of scrutiny for speaking up. Here, we break down Marlee Matlin’s relationship with Hurt and what followed after she’d opened up about the abuse she’d endured at his hands. We explore the stories of abuse of other women in media who didn’t survive like Matlin. And we explain what their stories tell us on how society and the court system has failed women everywhere. Let’s discuss…