An actor admits he stalked a woman off the tube as part of research for a role. This despite experiencing being stalked himself.
This bothers me because there's no recognition of the power differential at all (except subconsciously, because obviously he chose not to stalk a man). I know all stalking is terrible and happens to men too, but when men do it to women it can also be part of an escalation of violence that can end in rape and murder. Plus women are likely to have already experienced violence and abuse from men in their lives and be more sensitive to the effects of being stalked, even if it's just the once. We have no way of telling who's a murderer and who is merely researching, when our boundaries are being violated.
I'm not really interested in who the actor is, I imagine many (male ones) would have done the same. I am more interested in the environment which enables this behaviour.
Isn't it fascinating he feels able to admit to doing something that plays on misogyny and dangerous power differentials? He feels safe and assured that society won't cancel him? If his upcoming role had involved abuse of a man - for being black or being gay for example - would he have felt able to research in a similar manner?