01x05 - Breaking the Silence

[bunniefuu]

The new docuseries reveals
expl*sive allegations

behind the scenes
at Nickelodeon.

Some really
disturbing allegations.

Now in this new documentary...

It hits you immediately

how inappropriate
some of this content was.

Quiet on Set The Dark Side
of Kids TV shined a spotlight

on the toxic
and dangerous culture

behind some of the most
iconic children's shows

of the late 90s
and early 2000s.

My lawyer filed complaints.

Gender discrimination,
hostile work environment.

Actual pedophiles on set.

There are all these setups
that reference p*rn.

Once I saw it again
as an adult,

it was like, oh, oh. Oh.

I was just trapped.

I had no way out.

And the series
brought to light

Hollywood's own
shocking involvement.

These letters show
how strong the support was

for a convicted
sexual predator,

with people
with industry connections.

It gets me so mad
I get so emotional about it.

Protect your kids.

The series has gone viral,

launching
a thousand conversations,

provoking shock, outrage...

This creep was behind
that

...and heartbreak.

So much of this country's entertainment
industry is built on harming children.

As long as those checks come in,
that's what mattered to y'all.

What I do want to talk about is never
letting this stuff happen again.

In this episode,
we'll talk to Drake Bell

for the first time
since the series premiered,

I'm curious why you decided
to participate

after all these years
of not talking about it.

We'll air never-before-seen
footage from the series,

as well as new insights from
those closest to the story.

So what brought you
back together?

The documentary.

It was a light bulb moment.

And hear from
a cast member of All That

who will speak out
for the first time.

Join us as we dig deeper
and break the silence

on the disturbing world
of kids entertainment.

Thank you so much
for joining us.

I'm Soledad O'Brien.

In this special episode
of Quiet On Set,

we'll bring you new insights

from those closest
to the story

starting with
Drake Bell himself.

In the days
since Drake came forward

as the John Doe victim in
the 2003 child sex abuse case

against his dialogue coach
Brian Peck,

the reaction has been swift.

Both an outpouring of support and
horror that this could have happened

under the watchful eye
of so many adults.

I didn't feel like
anyone knew anything.

I was under the impression that
this was just a big, giant secret.

I just hoped and prayed

that one day
it would just stop.

I often look back at that time
and wonder

how in the world I survived.

- Drake, welcome.
- Thank you.

So I'm curious why you decided
to participate after...

After all these years
of not talking about it.

The-- The choice to
participate was a tough one.

It was a really hard
decision to make

because I'd been
approached before

and wasn't ready
and said no, and...

But when I-- When the people
from the doc reached out to me,

and I was speaking
with-- With Emma,

she just made me
feel really comfortable

and she took her time
and was really sensitive.

I was able to feel like
I could open up to her

and... I don't know.

I just felt
maybe this is the time--

This is the time
to tell my story.

In the child sex abuse
case against Brian Peck,

you described the moment
you walk into the courtroom

and you see it packed
with many well-known faces.

But they're not there for you.

On the day
of sentencing for Brian,

I get to the courthouse.

It was the most unbelievable
thing I'd ever seen.

His entire side
of the courtroom... was full.

There were definitely some recognizable
faces on that side of the room.

And my side was...

Me, my mom and my brother.

Brian had been convicted.

But getting
all of this support

from a lot of people
in the industry and...

Yeah, I was pretty shocked.

We wanted to understand

who in Hollywood was
supporting Brian through this.

So we petitioned the court to unseal
the letters of support in this case.

Will Friedle and Rider
Strong from Boy Meets World

wrote letters
in support of Brian Peck.

Then they recently spoke
about it on their podcast.

Hearing from Will and hearing from
Ryder, does it...

Does it change at all how
you think about that day now?

I mean...

No.

I worked-- I worked with Will
on Spider-Man

and there was
a lot of opportunity to...

Apologize or talk about it
and never did.

But also, I mean, it's a very
difficult subject to bring up,

I mean, especially
in a work environment.

So... And that's the thing
that's hard about this

is because everybody deals with
their trauma in different ways.

Everybody comes to
different conclusions

at different times in their
lives and realizations,

and I mean,
I really appreciate

that they've... You know,
their perspective now.

But I mean, that day
is so ingrained in my mind,

and there's so many people
who I mean, I haven't...

Nobody's reached out to me.

-Nobody's...
-No one else?

- I mean--
- No one at all?

Personally? Personally, no,
not one person who's written

one of those letters
has reached out to me.

The thing I have found,
really shocking, I guess,

is the idea that this wasn't
a bigger scandal 21 years ago.

That... boggles my mind.

I mean, three or four months
prior to his arrest,

was the Jason Handy case.

And then Brian
gets arrested and...

- Nothing.
- No articles.

I mean,
there's nothing about it.

I mean, I think
there was something

on the nightly news
about the arrest.

But for those two cases
to happen so closely together

and at the same network
on the same show?

It allowed him to go
to work on other shows,

go work on other kid's shows
on other kids networks.

As a registered sex offender.

Exactly! Exactly! As a registered
sex offender, going and working on--

And it was just unbelievable,
and it just...

I think that there being no media
coverage played a huge part in that.

I was surprised
in the documentary

about Dan Schneider's
support of you.

How does that square with what
basically everybody else said

about their treatment by Dan?

I mean, it was very hard
to watch.

It was really hard to watch because
I can only speak from my experience

and I can't take away
from anyone else's experience.

You know, I can just say that
during this time with Brian,

Dan was really
the only one from the network

that even made an effort

to... help me
and make sure I was okay.

Let's pause there.

But we have so much more
to talk about.

We'll be right back.

He was so good
at what he was doing.

Brian, he was so calculated.

He knew exactly what to say,
how to say it, what to do.

Why did you want
to come forward?

I think the only way
we can change

is to really
evaluate the past,

and I have some perspective
to share on that.

We're back with Drake Bell
continuing to share his story.

So, Drake, you mentioned that you've been
processing and dealing with your trauma.

Can you talk about
how your...

How you're dealing with it?

And when you look at
other actors--

I mean Amanda Bynes,
who's in the doc as well.

I mean, when you see her story
and her struggle...

Is that-- Do you look
and think, you know,

this is also part of what happens
when you're a child actor?

Well, I mean, with Amanda
and so many others,

I mean, we've lost so many
that aren't here anymore.

And it's just--
I've watched tragedy over--

After tragedy after tragedy
in this business and...

And it's just heartbreaking.

I went many years not wanting
to even talk about it at all.

Not in therapy, not with my
friends, not with my family.

I-- I kind of started--

There was a lot of things
happening in my personal life

that were really difficult,

and I started to
just kind of...

You know...

I guess spiral
is the best way to put it.

And so when I went to rehab,
I... It was--

It wasn't just 45 min
with your doctor twice a week.

It was from 8:00 o'clock
in the morning

until 8:00 o'clock at night.

Uh, 10:00 o'clock at night.

Therapy all day.

Trauma therapy, group therapy,
one on one, all of this stuff.

And I mean-- And I think a lot
of the help was being in groups

where you're hearing other
people's stories and going,

"Oh my gosh, I'm not alone."

And it was
really helpful to...

Start facing
this stuff head on.

Obviously, things like DUIs and
choices that I've made in my life,

they are decisions
I made on my own.

So I do have to
take accountability

and responsibility
for those things.

But It's really
eye opening to...

Get down to maybe
what's the root cause,

you know,
where is this coming from.

You talk a lot in the doc about
your mom and your dad as well.

How is your relationship
with them now

and have things changed
since the doc came out?

No, my dad's very emotional.

But I mean, we have a...
A fantastic relationship,

and it's so--
I'm so grateful for that

because like--
Like it shows in the doc,

we went through
many years of separation,

and it was really hard
on both of us,

and right now we have an
amazing, amazing relationship,

and my mom and I have
an incredible relationship.

I do feel there's a lot of
people kind of after the doc...

Going after my mom a bit.

But if you were in
that situation at that time,

he was so good
at what he was doing.

Brian, he was so calculated.

He knew exactly what to say,
how to say it, what to do,

the image
to portray, everything.

I mean,
I completely understand

how he just... pulled the wool
over everyone's eyes.

It's... It's tragic.

I want to ask you a little bit
about your former co-star Josh

because people were...
Were very hard on him

for what they perceived to be
his reaction to your story.

Yeah, I just...
I know what it's like to have,

you know, the internet
att*ck you for...

I mean, really nothing.

He had reached out to me,
and we-- We've been talking.

This is a really difficult
thing to process.

But at the end of the day,
you know,

we have such
a close connection

and this unique bond,
that's so rare in this industry that...

I don't know.
It's really special,

and he's a really
great person.

You have obviously
been dealing with this trauma

for-- For more than
two decades,

and I thought
maybe we would show

a never-before-seen clip
from your interview

about one of the ways that
you've been dealing with this.

Can we play that?

A lot of times my emotions
and my inner thoughts and...

What I--
What I'd been through would...

Would creep up
and get in the way.

But luckily,
I was writing songs

and expressed what I was
feeling through music.

I think that was my therapy,
really, at that time.

I see your guitar
right behind you.

So... Clearly.

Tell me a little bit about
how music has been helping you

and has always, you know,
been a platform for you.

Music's like my diary
or my journal.

I... I've always written
about my life

and after I did this doc, I started
just writing even more and more and more

and stuff started pouring out.

And that's actually
when I started--

When I wrote the new song
I just put out

and the video
that addresses the abuse

and other things that I've gone
through in my life and the rehab,

and it's kind of
the most vulnerable,

honest, self-reflective stuff
that I've written ever.

Well, Drake,
thanks for talking with us.

I really appreciate it.

I know...
Maybe you don't know,

but so many people really need
to hear what you had to say.

You talk a lot about being
alone, being isolated,

and so I think what you're
doing is really important.

Thank you.
Thank you for having me.

Coming up next,
we're joined in the studio

by two contributors
from Quiet On Set

reunited to talk about their
experience since the premiere.

Have you guys spoken
to Dan since?

You know, recently
in the last weeks?

Yeah,
I got a phone call.

Here with me now
are a couple of faces

you'll recognize
from the series.

Giovonnie Samuels
and Bryan Hearne,

two cast members
who spent multiple seasons

on All That
in the early 2000s.

Welcome to you both.

So how has it been?

I mean, have you been surprised by
the fallout from the documentary?

-Yeah.
-Absolutely.

Both of us had to kind of
take a step back

from social media and whatnot
because it's been...

The only way we can
describe it is overwhelming.

In a good way? I mean support?

-Absolutely.
-Yeah.

- There's been a lot--
And on the flip side is...

People were like, "Yo,
my childhood is now traumatized by this."

-Yeah.
-"And I feel grieved that

-that you guys went through this...
-Yeah.

...but I also feel
trauma too."

And I'm like, I don't want
you guys to feel that way.

Not all of it was terrible.

There are still some
beautiful pieces left in it.

You know, we're okay.

Yeah, I think the--
The main... point

of us participating
in this documentary

was to make sure that
this doesn't continue.

Your former boss, Dan Schneider,
posted a video defending himself.

He also apologized
for his actions.

I am so sorry to any kid who
ever had to do a dare or anything

that they didn't want to do
or weren't comfortable doing.

We went out of our way
to make sure they were safe

and that everything
was done properly.

But if a kid was scared
and didn't want to do it,

- kids shouldn't have to do it.
- Yeah.

- Period. The end.
- Right.

And if I had known
at the time...

I would-- I would have
changed it on the spot.

"If he had known at the time,

- he would have changed it
on the spot."

Why are you both laughing?

The thing about his interview
as a whole is, um,

- I just thought--
I thought it was funny.

- What'd you think was funny about it?
- -If I'm--

If I could be candid,
Dan was an actor before all of this.

And so I think
that he brushed off some chops

and gave us
a nice performance.

Where was
all of this apologizing

when Jeanette McCurdy's
book came out?

Or when Angelique Bates
had said something?

- Yeah, very publicly.
- Very publicly.

And I just feel that...

What's an apology
without accountability?

Realistically,
if you take the--

The inappropriate jokes away,

do you have a show... anymore?

Take all the foot jokes.

Take all the face sh*ts,

all the--
All of that inappropriateness.

Is it just commercials then?

In this interview,
Dan also said this.

All these jokes
that you are speaking of...

That the show covered
over the past two nights...

Every one of those jokes was
written for a kid audience

because kids thought they
were funny and only funny.

Okay?

Now we have some adults

looking back at them 20 years
later through their lens,

and they're looking at them
and they're saying,

"I don't think that's
appropriate for a kid's show."

So back then,

did you think those jokes
were funny to hear?

Did you think those jokes
were funny to do?

No.

Only because one, we're kids.

We don't know.
We're a bit naive.

And when you have a writer
or a showrunner,

and he's laughing the hardest,
you go along with it.

- Mmm.
- -Because one, you don't know any better,

and two... This is your job.
This is your boss.

So when you were
performing those jokes,

or even hearing your colleagues
sort of saying those jokes,

did it just feel like
this is not really for kids?

I mean, did you feel that
when you were doing the show?

-There were jokes that was going over
our heads. -Completely over our heads.

I'm 13 years old.
I'm very new to like...

-Comedy, everything.
-I'm not allowed to watch--

-Yeah. -I'm not allowed to
watch South Park and Family Guy

and, you know,
things of that nature.

I'm-- I'm sitting here just
trying-- trying to be funny.

I'm just trying
to be funny.

And with us coming in in the
second round of All That,

we're looking to him because
he's the creator of this.

He is the guy
that made so many people big.

So you're trusting
his judgment.

He seems to say,
with the lens of now adults

all these years later
look back and say,

"Oh,
that looks like it's sexual,

that looks inappropriate."

Is he just utterly wrong?

It's one of those things.

The foot stuff was crazy.

I never liked the foot stuff.

Never liked the foot stuff.

He thought
the foot stuff was funny.

-You're like,
"I'm a paid actor." -I don't get it.

- I'm going to execute on the foot stuff.
- -Yeah.

And then you kind of look
to your left...

And everybody in the room,

or at least the adults
are laughing,

you go along with it.

Dan had this to say
about diversity.

Diversity has always been
very important

to me in my shows.

If you go back
to the very first

Nickelodeon show I ever made,
that's very evident,

as it is in the second one,

and then the first movie
I ever made for Nickelodeon,

which starred Kenan and Kel,

and every show
I did after that

had a lead Black actor in it.

So you were the only two Black
actors on all that, right?

-Yes.
-Yeah.

What do you think
when he says that?

Oh, that's the sign here
that's happening.

I don't know if you guys
can hear this, the deep sign.

Uh...

It was very evident
from the first day.

It was just the two of us.

I've said this before
on social media, you know,

that's usually the first thing
you do in a Black space,

or as a Black person,
or a person of color.

-Count the Black people.
-Yeah,

You count who's in the room,

in front
and behind the camera.

-And... there were two.
-Two people.

-Four if you include our moms.
-Yeah.

My gripe with the way
that question was answered

is that the question itself
was posed to him about us.

-Right.
-It was about us.

He said, "Oh, I jump-started
the careers of Kenan and Kel."

So they talked about
us being overlooked,

and then he overlooked us
in his answer.

What do you do with that?

Did you feel like you were
stereotypes, tokenized roles?

Mmm-hmm.

Did you feel
like that consistently

-while you were on the show?
-Yes.

I was told,
"You're so talented,

we don't know
what to do with you.

Let's just kinda
stick you anywhere, or..."

- Which was why I came up with sketches and ideas to help.
- -Yeah.

Have you guys spoken
to Dan since?

Recently, in the last weeks?

Yeah, I got a phone call.

Oh.

He reached out a week before
the documentary aired.

Mmm.

He asked if I could give
a quote of support.

He didn't know
that you were in the--

-He knew I was in the
documentary for a year. -He knew.

And he was like,
"Oh, I love Gio.

She's great,
she's nice, great.

She could tell my side,"

and I don't know
what you want.

I don't know
what possessed him.

So he asked you if you would
give a quote of support.

And what did you say?

-He asked because I did come back
to do Henry Danger, -Mmm-hmm.

which was sometime later.

He was like, "You had
a good time on set, right?

Right?"

And you said?

I told him
I was terrified of him.

Was he surprised by that?

I don't know.

I said, "You had the power
to make people stars."

And I was intimidated by you.

I wanted to do a good job.

Hmm.

The children
of the next generation,

if our children should so
decide one day to say,

"Put me in front
of the camera."

Would you say yes?

As dad, today?

With my four-year-old
and my 10-year-old?

-No.
-Yeah.

- Absolutely not.
- Hmm.

We have a lot more
to talk about.

Coming up, Bryan's mom,
Tracey Brown, will join us

to talk about
how Bryan's experience

on Dan's sets impacted
her relationship with her son.

In that moment,
I said I've lost him.

You do right there.

I lost him.

So Bryan,
in the series, we hear

a really heartbreaking story
of when you're told

-you're not gonna be asked back.
-Yeah.

And that day clearly had
an impact on the relationship

you had with your mom.

Yeah.

The day
that we were told

In that moment, he grew up and
his body language showed it,

just showed this man
protruding out.

And that's a man that
didn't trust his mom anymore.

It ruined us.

And you can't get that...

like the moment
you can't get back.

Oh, this was one of the most
heartbreaking things to watch.

Joining us now
is Bryan's mom, Tracey.

-It's nice to talk to you, Tracey.
-Thank you.

In so many ways,
it feels like Bryan's exit

was really pivotal, clearly,
in your relationship. Um...

It sounds like
you were trying to protect him

and do the right thing

and it came
at a tremendous cost.

Can you explain that?

Yeah, I wasn't looking for
my son to be this great star

and that's my dependency.

My dependency is raising
a healthy child.

I'm a Leo, I don't know
if that makes a difference

to any of you guys,
I'm a lion, right?

I don't mind being in my cave
and licking my nails,

but I have nails.

When you think
when Bryan lost his job

that maybe it was you
that you had brought this

-on him in some way?
-I knew it.

You knew you did?

I absolutely knew it.

When he got the news,
he went to his agents

and they said,
"Bring your mom up here."

And that's when we got
the news and the funny part is

he was just 13,
but he slunched over

and I saw a different soul
come through.

And I said, in that moment
I said, "I've lost him."

You do right there.

I lost him.

Did you think
your mom was responsible?

I think that, um,
I'm trying not to cry.

-I've got a whole box of tissues here
for both of you. -Oh, please, please.

So say the word.

It was like, well,
whose fault is it?

Is it my fault?

Is it... You know,
she's the outspoken one.

You know?

And there were times
where I was like,

"Oh,
I'm not gonna say anything

because I don't want her
to burn the place down,

and so I'm not gonna say
anything here,

I'm not gonna say
anything here."

And I would have.

Yeah.

How bad was your relationship?
I mean, obviously at 13--

With my son?

Yeah,
how bad did it get?

It was ruined.

It wasn't, "And for six months
I was really mad at my mom."

-No, it was all of his life.
-All of it.

-Yeah.
-All of... from 13 on.

Yeah.

You had a rift between you.

Yeah, he didn't trust me
anymore, he was resentful.

He ran away from home.

Yeah.

So what brought you
back together?

-Can I answer that?
-Yeah.

The documentary.

- Hmm.
- How?

It was a light bulb moment

to go back in time

and discover, as a mom,
that moment ruined us.

Hmm.

- I still did not hope that you and I would talk.
-Hmm.

And then I didn't know he had
already seen the documentary

and Valentine's Day
rolled around

and I sent...

"Happy Valentine's Day."

And he responded,
"Happy Valentine's Day, mom."

So let me push it back
a little bit.

So to be perfectly honest,
watching that scene,

um, brought me to tears.

And first of all, I called
my therapist immediately.

This was not on a therapy day.

Not on a therapy day.

My day is Tuesday.

I think I watched on a Monday
and was like, "Oh, my God."

This was the spawn.

And we had that conversation,
therapist to patient, client.

And it just,
it changed everything

because I was able
to pinpoint, "Oh, my gosh,

this is where
my resentment started."

Oh, my gosh.

-I can talk to 13,


"This wasn't your fault.

It wasn't her fault.

These people
had it out for y'all."

Hmm.

So there's a clip,
it's never been seen before

of another Black actor who was
featured in the series.

And I want to play that now.

There was a scene
we were doing,

it was called, "The Literals."

And every time
I said, "Spit it out,"

she would spit
what was in her mouth,

whether it was the water
or whatever,

like directly in my face.

Everybody thought
it was so funny.

Ha-ha-ha.
Everybody's laughing.

Me, I did not find it funny.

The third time
I was like infuriated.

Like I was so mad
that the director

hurried and put me
on the side of the set

and was like, "Listen, Raquel,

breathe in, breathe out.

She's the star of the show."

He said, "Don't make
too much of a problem.

I'm gonna ask her
not to spit in your face,

but you have
to keep your cool."

That's r*cist.

Period.

Wow.

Why is that so disturbing
to you, Bryan?

I obviously did not know
that story.

I've only had one solid
conversation with Raquel,

but oh, my God,
that hit me really hard.

She's...

To just be told
you don't matter,

in that moment,
you're being spit on.

And they say, this person
matters more than you.

- 'Cause she's a star.
- Take it.

Yeah.

And there's a cultural
difference too, right?

- We are culturally trained to take it.
- -Hmm.

-They are not.
-Hmm.

And imagine... so imagine
that little girl saying,

"I don't wanna do that,"
right?

"I don't wanna do this."

What would happen?

So then what's your advice

for young Black actors now?

You know, it's hard
because the one thing

I would say
is that I was disappointed

there wasn't another Black boy
on set.

That's important.

-The camaraderie is important,
let alone the likeness. -Yeah.

And it's not even just Black,
it's indigenous.

It's Hispanic.

You can't just have the one
representing the whole world.

It doesn't make sense to me.

That was pressure.

-It's pressure.
-For Gio and I.

Even having the privilege--

I mean to have one Black girl
and one Black boy.

That was good.

For them to think that
that was okay too.

-It's not.
-Yeah.

-The pressure for each of us...
-Yes.

...to represent was very hard.

So then what would you tell
a young Black actor,

"Don't do it?"

- What would you say?
- Today?

What advice
would you give them today?

-Today?
-Mmm-hmm.

-Do it, but if you have to walk
away, do that. -Hmm.

-And I would say that to the
moms and the dads. -Yeah, yeah.

-Pull your kid out.
-Yeah.

Tracey, thank you
for talking with me.

-I appreciate it, Bryan, you as well.
-Thank you.

-Oh, no problem at all.
-Absolutely.

So in our final segment,
we meet a fellow,

All That cast member
who's coming forward publicly

for the first time.

There were certainly
some passes, you know.

-That he made on you.
-Yeah.

Joining us now
for an exclusive interview

is an actor from All That
who's coming forward

for the first time.

Shane Lyons, thank you
for being here today.

-Thanks for having me.
-You bet.

So what was it like
for you on the set?

It was pretty dynamic.

And for someone
who always wanted to be

a funny guy on television,
you know,

I wouldn't say
it was a dream come true,

but it seemed like
a really great stepping stone.

I always wanted to be
like Chris Farley

and be on Saturday Night Live.

So this felt like, "Okay,
I'm gonna be doing that

in my future, and this is
a great place to start."

And then was there a point
where that shifted?

Yeah, they just fired me.

And I never learned why.

I was 16 and my contract
wasn't picked up.

I think I'm sort of a unique
case and really lucky,

in that my parents
were chefs.

I knew that no matter what,

I can kind of follow
in my mom's footsteps--

A lot of young actors
don't have that.

Their dream is to do this show
and then this show

and then bigger and bigger.

Right, and we're setting them
up for failure.

We acknowledge that,
"Oh, it's really hard

to go from a child actor
into an adult actor."

Yes, okay,
but what are we doing in the process

of a young actor who's on set?

What sort of continuing
education are we providing them?

Why did you wanna
come forward?

I think the only way
we can change

is to really evaluate
the past.

And I have some perspective
to share on that

and I felt
like it was important.

You were on the set
with Brian Peck.

I was on the set
with Brian Peck, yeah.

Was he as charming
as people would describe him?

- I mean--
- 100%, 100%.

And we were enamored with,
at least me personally,

that there is an adult
who's also a cast member

who is someone that we knew

we could kind of
run things by,

work with, improvise with.

It was very helpful
in that context.

Since you knew Brian Peck,

-when you heard Drake's story,
-Hmm.

what did you think?

I think
it was very brave of him

to go on national television
and say it.

And the specificity
of what Brian did

was something nobody knew.

Uh, and it's absolutely
gut-wrenching.

That poor kid, now man,
it's gut-wrenching.

And I feel very blessed
and lucky

that nothing like that
happened to me.

There were certainly
some passes, you know?

-That he made on you.
-Yeah.

Did you realize at the time
that they were passes?

No, when he asked me if I knew
what blue balls was,

I thought
they were racquetballs.

What did he say?

Some conversation was
happening in the green room

and we get called to set
and Brian follows behind me

and I'm kind of alone
in the green room set

and he sits next to me
and goes,

because previously
in the conversation

they were talking
about blue balls.

And I just didn't know
what they were.

And he goes, "Well, we know what
blue balls are, right, Shane?"

And I said,
"Yeah, like racquetballs."

Right, I'm a kid, 13, 14.

You know,
and as I think back now,

as an adult, as a 36 year old,

and I go, would I ever have
a conversation

with a 13 year old boy
like he had with me?

No, it makes
absolutely zero sense

for a 13 year old girl
or 13 year old anybody.

They're kids,
why are you talking like that?

What would a protection
for kids on the set,

since you were on the set,
that makes sense,

that's doable,
that's enforceable,

that could work,
what does it look like?

So, updating the law
first and foremost,

so that no individual who is
a convicted child molester

can ever get on
a Hollywood set again.

And currently there's
a loophole in the law

that as long as there's
a guardian or a parent

omnipresent on the set,
they don't have to hire people

who go through
a background check.

And I think more broadly,

when you have
a cult of personality

in any work environment,

inevitably it's ripe
for toxicity.

We get into their sphere
and their orbit,

and no one wants to disrupt
what's happening,

above or below.

Dan said he had many,
many layers above him.

He had a boss
and his boss had a boss

and his boss had a boss.

Well, it sounds like the
farmer that blames the tractor

for the poor harvest,
it's like, "Not me, man."

You shirk responsibility,
it's pretty simple.

When you're not at a point
in your life

to take ownership
of the mistakes you made,

um, the first thing to do

is to shift the blame
to someone else.

I think the lessons that
hopefully the perpetrators

highlighted in this film
can learn,

because that's ultimately
what needs to happen

is them learning and
everyone else learning too.

If they can't do that,
then there's no chance

of them actually growing
or changing or evolving.

It must feel good to have
all your voices elevated

in this particular project,

and I would love
to bring out your co-stars.

Giovonnie, why don't I put you
here in the middle?

And Bryan, welcome back here.

Hi.

It's nice to have
you guys together.

-I go for the fist and he gives the hand.
-Knuckle sandwich.

Knuckle sandwich, all right.

You did
your interviews individually.

-You weren't in a big
group together. -No.

So this has been a time
for you guys to kind of like,

- do a little reunion.
- Yeah.

These are the people
I grew up with.

These are my brothers.

We have this special
connection with each other,

and even if we don't see
each other every day,

it's like we pick up
where we left off.

You know, as soon as I saw
Shane, I was like,

-my Papa Bear's back.
-I'm Papa Bear.

Yes, like as soon as
I saw Bryan,

- I was like my little bro, like no time has passed.
- -Yeah.

And it's just disheartening

-that it had to be this
-Hmm.

that brought us
back together again.

Have you all been
just surprised

at the impact
of this documentary?

Yes, I didn't know
what to expect.

I had high hopes,
but I wanna say that

I appreciate Emma and Mary
so much for being real people.

Hmm.

I've said before,
these people approached us,

we didn't know who they were,
so we were apprehensive.

And we definitely had
our guard up, for sure.

But once we realized,
yo, these people

care about the people,
they care about the story,

-and they wanna get the truth
out, -The truth out.

or you can visit online.rainn,
R-A-I-N-N.org.

How about for you, Shane?
Have you been surprised?

I think when something
that's potentially expl*sive

always comes out,
you sort of have this like...

...moment of hold your breath,

is it what's gonna
really happen?

And I am hoping
that the impact sustains,

and it's not just a flash
in the pan of the interest,

but there's real change
that needs to occur.

And I'm hoping this is a first
stepping stone for that.

I really want
to thank you guys

for being part
of this conversation,

really all the guests for being
part of this conversation.

You are truly the heroes
of this story,

and it requires
a lot of bravery

to come forward
and tell your story.

And when you don't know,
you know,

what the impact is gonna be,
what the fallout's gonna be,

so you should know
you're really having

a hugely positive impact

on people
who've been watching.

It's a big deal,
and we appreciate it.

And in case you haven't had
a chance to watch,

all four episodes are
currently streaming on Max.

Thank you for joining us.

If you or someone you know
has been affected

by sexual abuse,
help is available 24-7

through the National
Sexual as*ault Hotline.

You can call 800-656-HOPE,

or you can visit online.rainn,
R-A-I-N-N.org.