Emmy Rossum Turned Down a Director Who Wanted Her to Show Up in a Bikini Instead of Audition
Emmy Rossum is a talented acting veteran who doesn’t need any introductions. However, like many other female actors in the industry, she has experienced sexism in Hollywood. Rossum recounted an experience where a director asked her to show up in a bikini to audition for a movie, but the star turned it down.
Emmy Rossum turned down a huge movie because of a sexist request
In 2017, Rossum and her fellow actors sat for a roundtable heart-to-heart for The Hollywood Reporter. Others at the table included America Ferrera, Minnie Driver, Issa Rae, Kathryn Hahn, and Pamela Adlon.
Rossum opened up about a bizarre offer forwarded to her by her agent. The Shameless actor said, “Even as recently as a year ago, my agent called me and was like, ‘I’m so embarrassed to make this call, but there’s a big movie, and they’re going to offer it to you.”
Rossum said her agent told her that the executives loved her on Shameless and wanted to have her on their project. However, the director had one request before giving her the part. The star said her agent told her the request was that she had to “come into his [the director’s] office in a bikini.” According to Rossum, the director didn’t want her to audition but only wanted to ascertain that she hadn’t gained weight.
While the request disgusted her, Rossum said she considered it for a moment and even asked her agent to send her the script, thinking the character wore a bikini in the movie, but that wasn’t the case. “Not in a bikini in the movie. Not naked in the movie,” Rossum shared with her fellow stars. Rossum clarified to the rest that she turned down the request and, subsequently, the movie.
Emmy Rossum fought for equal pay on ‘Shameless’
Rossum is popularly known for her long-running stint as the eldest Gallagher sibling on Shameless. The star joined the series in December 2009 and held onto the role for nine seasons. By 2017, the actor was a permanent fixture on the show, but there was a lot of drama going on behind the scenes, largely involving salary negotiations.
The gender pay disparity is a huge deal in Hollywood, and Rossum faced it firsthand when a breakdown in contract negotiations almost left her out of a job. In December 2016, Rossum and Shameless producers found themselves in a contract dispute after she expressed her desire for a salary match with her on-screen father, William H. Macy.
Rossum refused to sign a contract for season 8 until the show paid her equally with Macy. According to Rossum, her character spent significantly more time on screen than Macy’s, so she felt it was only right for her to receive what she was owed. Rossum told her fellow stars that Macy supported her, a move she termed “validating,” and added that after the dispute became public knowledge, the producers offered a quick resolution.
Emmy Rossum began performing as a child
Rossum knows how to stick up for herself as someone who’s been in show business a long time. She was asked to join the Metropolitan Children’s Chorus when she was seven. After performing as a singer for a few years, the star turned her attention to acting and made her TV debut in 1997 in As The World Turns. She then appeared in Snoops, Genius, and The Audrey Hepburn Story.
The actor made her movie debut in the 2000 film Songcatcher. Her major studio film role came in 2003 in Clint Eastwood’s Mystic River. She then appeared in The Day After Tomorrow, The Phantom of the Opera, and The Poseidon Adventure. Since leaving Shameless, Rossum starred in Angelyne.
