Kiwi actress Antonia Prebble weighs in on film industry's sexual harassment

Kiwi actress Antonia Prebble says she finds the recent sexual harassment allegations in Hollywood "pretty shocking", adding the New Zealand film and TV culture is very different.

Speaking to RadioLIVE, the Westside star says the industry here is too small for people like disgraced media mogul Harvey Weinstein to get away with similar actions.

"The only experiences I have are my own - and the culture in New Zealand and Australia is very far from that. I think we're lucky enough that we're a small enough industry here that with something like that you'd never get away with it."

She added an unnamed friend once did have a run in with an "inappropriate" director - but she quickly shut him down.

"A friend of mine did a short film once and she felt like the director was being quite inappropriate with her... but she's a strong woman and she said something to him and he kind of said 'oh sorry' and that was the end of that," says Prebble.

"Thankfully, I don't think you'd get away with something like that on a film set in New Zealand... they'd get found out pretty quickly and there wouldn't be this sort of decade long silence about it."

Prebble said she first heard the "despicable" rumours about Weinstein several years ago .

"In some ways I'm not surprised - but it's always a bit of a shame to hear that rumours like that aren't just rumours," Prebble said.

She believes the sexual harassment allegations against Weinstein stayed secret for so long because he works in an industry where people will do anything to get ahead, so the actresses involved felt disempowered.

"With an acting career you really desperately want it," says Prebble.

"People in that industry are just really passionate people who will pretty much do almost anything to get there.

"I guess they just felt threatened in many senses."

You can hear the full interview on Your Sunday with Ryan Bridge, 10am-2pm this Sunday.

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