Washington [US], July 2 : Actor Olivia Munn has alleged that a male director she worked with on HBO's 'The Newsroom' attempted to derail her career following creative differences on set.
According to Variety, in an interview, Munn claimed that the director later characterised her as "combative" in conversations with a movie studio, which she believes was a deliberate effort to damage her professional prospects.
The incident, according to Munn, stemmed from disagreements over how to portray a romantic subplot between her character and that of co-star Thomas Sadoski.
Munn said the director repeatedly urged her to perform actions that didn't align with her character's motivations in the given scenes.
"There was a storyline where our characters are falling in love," she explained, adding, "He kept trying to make me show that only from my side, telling me to flirt, kiss, or smile at him in the middle of serious work-related moments. I kept pushing back because it didn't make sense for the scene," as quoted by Variety.
She later learned, through her team, that the director had allegedly spoken negatively about her to another studio during casting discussions for a separate film.
"I was about to get the role when my manager told me there were concerns.
Someone said I was late all the time and difficult to work with," Munn recalled, adding, "I lived seven minutes from set and was never late. I knew exactly who said that," as quoted by Variety.
Despite the interference, Munn said she ultimately landed the role but noted the incident remains a striking example of how professional disagreements can lead to personal retaliation.
"Just because of how we approached a role differently, he tried to ruin my chances of getting anything else," she said, as quoted by Variety.
Munn did not identify the director by name.
The actor, known for her roles in both film and television, has previously spoken out about misconduct within the entertainment industry.
In 2017, she accused director Brett Ratner of sexual harassment, telling The Los Angeles Times that he exposed himself to her in a trailer during the filming of 'After the Sunset' in 2004.
She also called attention to the casting of a registered sex offender in 2018's 'The Predator', directed by Shane Black.
Black later issued a public apology.
In a separate interview earlier this year, Munn revealed she once declined a multimillion-dollar offer tied to a non-disclosure agreement following what she described as a traumatic experience on a film set.
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