Geoffrey Rush steps down as AACTA president ahead of awards on Wednesday

December 3, 2017 3:16

Australian actor Geoffrey Rush has voluntarily left his post as the president of the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) ahead of the industry body’s awards on Wednesday.

The news comes after allegations of “inappropriate behaviour” during Rush’s time with the Sydney Theatre Company (STC).

The Oscar winner has been involved in various STC productions over the years, however his most recent engagement with the company was between November 2015 and January 2016 during Shakespeare’s King Lear.

Rush denied the allegations, initially saying he had not been informed of the nature of the complaint.

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Vivienne Kelly

Vivienne Kelly was previously the editor of Mumbrella from 2016 to August 2020.

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2 COMMENTS

Danny 4 Dec 17

The journalism at Mumbrella is progressively getting worse as the weeks roll on.

Vivienne Kelly writes “Originally, Rush has denied the allegations, and said he had not been informed of the nature of the complaint.” which implies to the reader that he later changed his stance and now accepts the allegations as being true when in fact, the opposite is true and he still vehemently denying the claims.

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Vivienne Kelly 4 Dec 17

Hi Danny,

We have certainly upset you today, haven’t we?

Apologies for the clunky wording there. Rush originally stated he was not aware of the nature of the complaint. Given it has since been revealed by News Corp, he would now be aware of the complaint.

I have tidied up the wording for clarity. Apologies for causing you so much distress today and I hope your week improves.

Vivienne – Mumbrella