Anna Faris Accuses Ivan Reitman Of Misconduct During ‘My Super Ex-Girlfriend’ Production

There’s no denying Ivan Reitman’s legacy as a filmmaker. He’s the director of films such as “Stripes,” “Ghostbusters,” “Twins,” and “Kindergarten Cop.” But according to actress Anna Faris, it’s his actions during the production of one of his later films that felt like she was working under a “reign of terror.” 

Speaking on her Anna Faris is Unqualified podcast (via Deadline), Anna Faris spoke with Lena Dunham and opened up about her experience during the shoot of “My Super Ex-Girlfriend.” Apparently, while filming the 2006 movie, Ivan Reitman not only “yelled” at her but she also claims he “slapped my ass,” which left her feeling “angry, hurt, and humiliated.” 

READ MORE: R.I.P. Ivan Reitman: Jason Reitman, Paul Feig, Judd Apatow & More React To Filmmaker’s Passing

“One of my hardest film experiences was with Ivan Reitman,” she added. “I mean, the idea of attempting to make a comedy under this, like, reign of terror, he was a yeller. He would bring down somebody every day…and my first day, it was me.”

This isn’t the first time Faris has talked about this incident, either. Back in 2017, when #MeToo was just starting, she shared a more detailed account of what happened. However, at that time, she didn’t mention the name of the filmmaker. 

“I was doing a scene where I was on a ladder and I was supposed to be taking books off a shelf and he slapped my ass in front of the crew so hard. And all I could do was giggle,” she said (via THR). “I remember looking around and I remember seeing the crewmembers being like, ‘Wait, what are you going to do about that? That seemed weird….’ And that’s how I dismissed it. I was like, ‘Well, this isn’t a thing. Like, it’s not that big of a deal. Buck up, Faris. Like, just giggle.’ But it made me feel small. He wouldn’t have done that to the lead male.”

READ MORE: Bill Murray Talked To Eddie Murphy In The ‘80s About Starring With Him In A ‘Batman’ Film By Ivan Reitman

At the time of filming “My Super Ex-Girlfriend,” there obviously weren’t too many women speaking up about misconduct on film sets. And even back in 2017, when she shared the story initially, it still wasn’t a friendly environment to call out filmmakers by name, especially someone as iconic as Reitman. Clearly, 2022 is a different reality, where it’s much more common for specific filmmakers to be accused of misconduct while on set. 

Reitman passed away in February, so there’s really not much else that can be said about the situation. But clearly, it’s something that has haunted Faris for more than a decade.