Anyone looking for career advice would surely consider a sit-down with Oprah Winfrey to be life changing, and luckily the mogul is sharing a few pearls of wisdom on keeping your business clear of any drama.
During the season finale celebration of OWN’s Queen Sugar, the executive producer spoke with People about maintaining a harassment-free set and comfortable environment for staff following recent allegations brought against Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey and others.
Quite simply, it’s all about the hiring process, and Ms. Winfrey knows exactly who to avoid.
“We don’t want any a**holes around us,” she said before describing how they weed out any unsavory characters.
“First of all starting with all-female directors. Ava [DuVernay] casts from the spirit of the person and looks for skill and talent.”
She continued, “You’re casting with the very idea of surrounding yourself and when you’re looking at casting you’re looking at ‘Does this guy fit with this woman? Does this little boy fit? Could those two people have had that boy? And how do we make this family?’”
“So we’re looking at those things and not just looking at who’s gonna be the star and take the lead but looking at how does it all integrate so that it can evolve into something bigger.”
When asked her thoughts on the harassment accusations brought against Weinstein, Winfrey, like many of us, has difficulty assessing it all.
“I’ve been processing the accounts of Harvey Weinstein’s hideous behavior and haven’t been able to find the words to articulate the magnitude of the situation.”
