Steven Spielberg praises Time’s Up movement at Empire Awards

Steven Spielberg hailed the importance of the Time’s Up movement during his acceptance speech at the Rakuten TV Empire Awards on Sunday (18Mar18).
The Jurassic Park director was honoured with the Legend of Our Lifetime prize at Empire magazine’s annual awards bash, and he used his acceptance speech to praise the Time’s Up movement, which aims to tackle sexual harassment, discrimination and gender inequality in Hollywood.
The filmmaker and his wife Kate Capshaw were among the many celebrities backing the movement from its inception in January, donating over $2 million (£1.43 million) via their Wunderkinder Foundation, and he believes it will be seen as a turning point in the industry in years to come.
“It’s been a rich and diverse year for film and for gender and for race, and for speaking out. Thank you, Time’s Up. We were very much on board from the very beginning, my wife Kate and I,” he said. “This is more important than any of us can ever really realise.
“I think in 10 years we’ll look back and realise what a watershed moment we are all experiencing together. 2017 to 2018, it’s extraordinary what’s happening right now.”
He praised how the movement has given representation and support to women who never had it before and were previously unable to come forward and take a stand against inappropriate behaviour.
“And Time’s Up means it’s time up. This is it, this is the end of the way things were. It’ll never be that way again hopefully,” he said.
The main donors at the start of the Time’s Up campaign also included Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Meryl Streep and Scandal creator Shonda Rhimes, who gave $500,000 (£359,000) each, filmmaker J.J. Abrams and his wife Katie McGrath, who made a $1 million (£717,000) donation, and Taylor Swift, Oprah Winfrey, Emma Stone, and Jessica Chastain.