Diane Kruger has detailed the “inappropriate and uncomfortable” screen test she underwent during the casting process for the 2004 movie Troy.
Kruger, who played Helen in the film, said that auditioning in full costume for the “studio head” made her feel “like meat”.
Speaking at a recent screening for her forthcoming show Swimming with Sharks, Kruger said: “I remember testing for Troy and having to go to the studio head in costume. And I felt like meat, being looked up and down and was asked, ‘Why do you think you should be playing this?’”
She declined to name the Warner Bros studio executive who asked her to come in for the screen test.
Kruger, who was born in Germany, revealed that she has “definitely come across the Weinsteins” of Hollywood during the screening for Swimming with Sharks at the Variety SXSW Studio.
She plays a ruthless movie executive in the eponymously named television reboot of the 1994 Hollywood film, which was directed by George Huang and starred Kevin Spacey.
The actor said that shooting for her role in the female-centric retelling of Swimming with Sharks made her reflect on “how disgusting and acceptable bad behaviour was at a certain time in our society, not just Hollywood”.
“The vulnerability of this character, combined with this excessive abuse of power, was really intriguing to me,” Kruger explained. She is set to reinterpret Spacey’s role in the original movie.
Spacey was accused of inappropriate sexual conduct in 2017 and his character in House of Cards was written out of the hit Netflix series.
The actor was ordered to pay $31m to the show’s producers, MRC, for violating their sexual harassment policy.
Kruger’s comments come amid the ongoing #MeToo and Time’s Up movements, which have seen a number of high-profile individuals in the entertainment industry accused of sexual misconduct.
In the wake of these allegations, many studios and production companies have implemented new policies and protocols to prevent harassment and discrimination.
Kruger remains optimistic about the future of the industry and the opportunities available to women.
She said: “I think it’s very important for women to have each other’s back and support each other and for men to listen. And I think we’re in a really good place right now.”
