I don't particularly care what a person's "quirks" and pressure points are. The point of fact is that there are very few industries out there that condone employees verbally harassing other employees in the workplace. I know for a fact that if I came in one morning in a crabby mood and just went off on my coworker, I'd be updating my profile on Linkedin later that night. Excuses need not apply. You just don't do it in a place of business. To say it's unprofessional is literally saying the least about it.
Bateman can ramble on all he wants about how the nature of their work is "not normal" and thus imply that actors are somehow exempt from this sort of behavior, but it's not even just about professional courtesy. It's basic human etiquette. You don't shout at people and belittle them. If you get frustrated with someone, you walk away for a few minutes and collect yourself. It requires minimal effort, but it displays some level of respect for the other individual/party. To stand there and berate people speaks of poor character, and there is simply no defending it.
The comments from Bateman, Cross, and Tambor are enormously disappointing, because they play right into the underlying issue with verbal/sexual harassment in the film/television industry. They normalize it, they treat it as if it's commonplace, they act like it's just the way it is. They think that because their line of work doesn't conform to a formal discipline structure that they are somehow excused from this sort of thing.
"His behavior was unacceptable, and he should absolutely be apologetic for it." That's literally all that they needed to say. What compelled them to keep shoving their feet further and further into their mouths boggles my mind.
It's not even just the actors. What the hell are the directors doing in these situations? Nobody is speaking up? At all? If someone threw a ***** fit and started screaming at people, I'd throw their ass off the set until they got hold of their wits.
