The movie business has been rocked by a former child actor's allegation that the director of the popular X-Men movies sexually abused him; the director denies the charges. The story has put the spotlight on what many are calling Hollywood’s
More and more kids are flocking to Hollywood today, hoping to catch their first big break at auditions.
Many of today's A-list celebs started out just the same way. Scarlet Johansson, Tobey Maguire and Leonardo DiCaprio all landed roles as child actors before finding fame. But just how safe is it for child actors working in Hollywood today?
Marty Weiss managed dozens of young actors, getting them roles on shows like Nickolodeon's iCarly and Disney's Good Luck Charlie.
But Weiss' career in Hollywood imploded in 2012 when he pled no contest to two counts of molesting an 11-year-old aspiring actor.
An INSIDE EDITION producer caught up with Weiss after he was released from jail in 2012, and asked, “Excuse me, Mr. Weiss. I'm with INSIDE EDITION.”
“No comment,” replied Weiss.
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He wasn't interested in talking.
“Did you get a job in Hollywood just so you could get access to young kids?” asked the producer.
So, is rampant pedophilia Hollywood's dirty little secret? The controversy is now coming to the spotlight following last week's disturbing allegations from a former child actor, who claims the famous director of the X-Men movies was part of a ring of pedophiles who preyed on aspiring actors.
Thirty-one-year-old Michael Egan leveled the accusations in a lawsuit against director Bryan Singer, who calls the allegations "absurd" and "defamatory."
Egan told INSIDE EDITION, “These people are evil at the highest level they are disgusting.”
Former child actor Cole Weiss says he was sexually assaulted by a talent manager named Tommy Lowery when he was 12. He claims that Lowery lured him to Hollywood with promises of stardom and then molested him in a Los Angeles hotel room.
“He's sick. He did this. I didn’t do anything wrong,” Weiss told INSIDE EDITION.
Lowery is now serving a 19 year sentence on child exploitation charges.
Another case-in-point is Bob Villard. As a prominent Hollywood publicist and manager, Villard says he helped guide the young careers of several of today's biggest stars, including Tobey Maguire and Leonardo DiCaprio. He took photos of the young future stars, even Tom Cruise.
While none of these actors has ever accused Villard of abuse, Villard recently finished an eight year sentence for molesting an aspiring young actor.
When INSIDE EDITION caught up with him he ran off. Our producer said, “I'd like to talk to you about your career in Hollywood. Why are you running away Mr. Villard?”
Now, another young man with dreams of stardom has everyone wondering whether Hollywood's dirty little secret is worse than we ever imagined.