Jared Leto Denies Involvement With Brett Ratner’s Hugh Hefner Biopic After Sexual Harassment Allegations Against Director
Thirty Seconds to Mars frontman and Oscar-award winning actor Jared Leto has recently distanced himself from director Brett Ratner's in limbo Hugh Hefner biopic. Playboy placed Ratner's film on hold after six women came forward with allegations of sexual harassment against the filmmaker.
Ratner had previously spoken about having Leto take on the role of Hefner in the biopic, but a recent statement from Leto's publicist reveals that the actor will have no involvement in the upcoming film.
"Jared Leto is not and was not attached to a Brett Ratner-directed Hugh Hefner film, nor will he be working with him in the future," his representative Robin Baum told The Hollywood Reporter.
Leto denying involvement comes just a day after a report was published to The Los Angeles Times, which detailed a range of sexual harassment accusations towards Ratner. These accusations cite Ratner harassing women in private homes, on movie sets and at industry events from throughout his career.
Of the Brett Ratner biopic, Playboy Enterprises released the statement, “We are deeply troubled to learn about the accusations against Brett Ratner. We find this kind of behavior completely unacceptable. We are putting all further development of our projects with RatPac Entertainment on hold until we are able to review the situation further.”
Ratner has directed a number of films over the years, including the Rush Hour trilogy, X-Men The Last Stand, Hercules and more. Ratner’s attorney Martin Singer “categorically” disputed the accounts.