--- title: Christian Bale Says White Men Shouldn't Run Everything description: When it comes to Hollywood and the world at large, Christian Bale says it would probably be better if white men weren't running everything. canonical: https://time.com/5073981/christian-bale-hollywood-white-men-sexual-harassment-hollywood/ author: Cady Lang article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-12-20T18:12:30.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-12T08:43:05.103Z og:title: Christian Bale Says White Dudes Shouldn't Run Everything og:description: "We’re going to get so much more interesting stories being told" og:url: https://time.com/5073981/christian-bale-hollywood-white-men-sexual-harassment-hollywood/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8b12a36807763e6a/6988f5fc656a3f11f8bd2ef0/christian-bale-white-men-hollywood-sexual-assault.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2000 og:image:height: 1125 og:image:alt: Premiere Of Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures' "Hostiles" - Arrivals og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Christian Bale Says White Dudes Shouldn't Run Everything twitter:description: "We’re going to get so much more interesting stories being told" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8b12a36807763e6a/6988f5fc656a3f11f8bd2ef0/christian-bale-white-men-hollywood-sexual-assault.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Christian Bale Says Culture Will Better When It's Not All 'White Dudes Who Are Running Things' > Sponsored content. 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Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=79a98f7e-e8d1-40bb-b066-1c22382660af&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: TIME Person of the Year 2017: The Silence Breakers [Watch (HLS stream): TIME Person of the Year 2017: The Silence Breakers](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/jbtW5SvJ.m3u8) (5:02)  _Published 2017-12-06. For giving voice to open secrets, for moving whisper networks onto social networks, for pushing all of us to stop accepting the unacceptable, the Silence Breakers are the 2017 Person of the Year._  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Dec 20, 2017 6:12 PM UTC  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Dec 20, 2017 6:12 PM UTC With conversations about [power dynamics](http://time.com/4987390/me-too-shows-pervasive-sexual-abuse/) swirling in [Hollywood](http://time.com/5015204/harvey-weinstein-scandal/) and the world at large, [Christian Bale](http://entertainment.time.com/2012/07/11/the-evolution-of-christian-bale/slide/more-lists/) says that “culture will be richer” when it’s not just white men who are the majority of power players. During a panel with _AOL Build_ to discuss his new film _Hostiles_, Bale sounded off on how a more inclusive entertainment industry and world can benefit everyone, not just men when it comes to the narratives and viewpoints. “Our culture will be so much richer the day that we stop saying, ‘Hey, it’s all white dudes who are running things,’” Bale said. “Whether that be Hollywood, whether that be Washington, you know. We’re going to get, in Hollywood, so much better films and so much more interesting stories being told and America will become the America that the rest of the world sees it as, that makes it unique.” The British actor added that he’s always viewed the U.S. as a “country of inclusion,” going so far as to say that’s why he chose to make a life and raise his family here. “It’s the reason why I moved here,” he said. “It’s the reason why my kids have American accents.” Watch the full clip below. ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] We can't all be ****. We can't all be asking for it. I am here to give you permission to be angry. This reality might not have to be our reality anymore. I felt this crushing sense of powerlessness. This is the time to take my power back. Here's my story. Uber promises. Investigation into sexual harrassment. Fox News cutting its ties with Bill O'Reilley. I felt it was my duty for the women who are silent to be brave. It's okay to stand up for yourself. Taylor Swift appearing in court today. Harvey Weinstein, the New York- People forget a lot that there's a human behind this. Someone who was very hurt and wronged. [ MUSIC ] [ CROSSTALK ] I always thought maybe things could change for my daughter. I never thought things could change for me. [ MUSIC ] Honestly, I was furious. I have had a man grope me in front of multiple collegues and I was tired of wondering if it was something I wore, I was tired of wondering if it was a vibe I was giving off and when I talked to other women they were furious too >> I felt that if I can speak out, may be if I just stand up then someone else would stand up with me >> There wasn't a place For us to report these experiences. But I sure did talk about it a lot over the years. The least I could do was actually tell my own story and validate theirs for them in a way, just as I was hoping someone much bigger than me would help validate my story. And I knew that other women Would continue to apple for jobs there and that made me feel really uncomfortable. I was afraid of the retaliation, I know the power of patriarchy. I know what men can do when their angry. They did everything that they could to prevent me from raising my concerns further. They asked me if there were other girls, maybe that he has done this too and can I go get them. I had to show them that I wasn't lying And it's like they took me for a joke. And if they couldn't stop us from talking, well, they were gonna stop everybody from listening to us. People digging into my Instagram and pulling up sexy photos as if they kind of discredited me. Well, I've seen you in committee. You're really tough. Why didn't you just hit him? Why did you let it go on for so long? I was a smart young woman that had gone to college, that knew how to fight, and I still was manipulated and conned. I felt ashamed that I hadn't spoken out sooner, not having the strength earlier on to make it stop. The feeling of being humiliated as a woman And there's a point you think is it my fault? For so long I went around harboring this ridiculous belief that because I was a non white woman in my 20s, it was expected that I would have to be treated this way. We don't have to just live like this. Few things could change from my daughter I never thought things could change from me. I'm here to give you permission to be angry, people are afraid specially women where conditioned since birth to be polite. To be nice, to be kind, to be liked to not make waves. ****. We can't all be crazy, we can't all be ****, we can't all be asking for it. And I'm telling you that all the people who stand up, all the people who speak out you are teaching people how to treat and you should not be shamed for that. The shame is not ours to hold, the shame is on perpetrator. Me Too can be a conversation starter or it can be the whole conversation. It took away the power from the predator. And placed the power on the victim. And maybe, just maybe we would be able to get a glimpse at the magnitude of this problem. The amount of people sharing the stories with me is so intense. People that were complete strangers reached out to tell very personal stories. It's What they did with this and they did a lot and not only in France in Hong kong japanese. The most months >> I feel like the day that I spoke up and I said you are a sexual harasser I changed >> some of the. Things in the night. [ FOREIGN ]. It's an honor to be the person that hey I spoke up about this. I took on the risk. And I was very humbled and I was very proud. I'm very glad now that the story has been heard. It's a direct response to that arrogance and that show of power and [ UNKNOWN ]. A sense, we won't be silenced. 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