James Woods brands new Academy rules for reporting misconduct 'pure McCarthyism'

James Woods has slammed new rules set to be imposed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on reporting misconduct in the movie industry.

The actor took to Twitter to brand the guidelines ‘pure McCarthyism’.

The Academy’s CEO sent out a letter to members on January 27, outlining the new rules and how workplace misconduct should be reported going forward.

An online form as well as a dedicated phone number will be made available to members to use in the filing of complaints, upon which reports will be reviewed.

If the reports are deemed serious, they will then be referred to the Academy’s board of governors, which will then rule whether or not the member should be expelled.

“So The Academy outlined its new guidelines for purging members today,” Woods said in a post on Twitter.

“Basically anonymous ‘claimants’ may make any accusation they wish. The ‘accused’ may only respond in writing to his accuser’s claims. No due process. No hearing. Pure McCarthyism. The blacklist all over again.”

Some hours later, he added: “You can now be blacklisted from @TheAcademy by a whisper.

“Cherry Jones said this recently in reference to the current #HollywoodWitchHunt: ‘There are those who are comfortable in their certainty. I am not. I don’t know the truth. When we condemn by instinct, our democracy is on a slippery slope.’ I commend her decency and good sense.”

Woods found himself accused of sexual impropriety in September last year.

After a Twitter spat with Armie Hammer over the movie Call Me By Your Name – Woods criticising the age gap of the film’s same sex relationship despite having dating much younger women himself – the actress Amber Tamblyn penned an open letter to Teen Vogue detailing an alleged incident in which she claimed Woods tried to pick her up when she was 16.

“My friend Billy and I were at the Roxy on Sunset Boulevard seeing a band we loved. We decided to go to Mel’s diner on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood to get burgers after,” Tamblyn wrote.

“Upon leaving the restaurant we were stopped by you and your friend, who both seemed very nice. At one point you suggested we should all go to Las Vegas together. ‘It’s such a great place, have you ever been?’ You tried to make it sound innocent. This is something predatory men like to do, I’ve noticed.

“I told you my age, kindly and with no judgment or aggression. I told you my age because I thought you would be immediately horrified and take back your offer. You laughed and said, ‘Even better. We’ll have so much fun, I promise.’”

Woods denies the exchange ever took place.

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