Though Alec Baldwin was slow to weigh in on the more than 300 accusations of sexual misconduct against his friend James Toback — he eventually claimed to have no knowledge of his behavior — the actor now says he’s part of the problem. In a conversation at the Paley Center for Media, where he was being honored on Thursday, THR notes that Baldwin admitted to being guilty of sexism and mistreating women in Hollywood. “I certainly have treated women in a very sexist way. I’ve bullied women. I’ve overlooked women. I’ve underestimated women. Not as a rule,†he said. “From time to time I’ve done what a lot of men do, which is … when you don’t treat women the same way you treat men. You don’t. I’m from a generation where you really don’t and I’d like that to change. I really would like that to change.â€
He also claims that, despite his comments about Toback, he hasn’t been ignorant to Hollywood’s rampant misconduct, he just claims not to have known its severity. “I knew of certain things, that there were rumors of things happening to people, but I didn’t necessarily know the scope when you hear the hundreds and hundreds of women who are complaining about this,†he said. “It’s been a very eye-opening experience for me personally. We’ve got to be vigilant in a new way to make sure that everybody is comfortable and that we get the job done together that we’re there to do.†Baldwin said that a shift in workplace culture is needed not only to keep people safe, but also because predatory men dominating the headlines has been bad for business: “It’s making it less productive.â€