Mar 17, 2020
In 1992 Jonhathon Schaech was chosen by Italian auteur Franco
Zeffirelli to star in his new movie Sparrow. Zeffirelli was then at
the peak of his power and influence. Jonathan was 22 years old and
thrilled to have been chosen by such an artist from all the young
actors in the world.
In 1995 Jonhathon starred opposite Rose McGowan, now a mutual
friend, in Gregg Araki’s stylish thriller The Doom Generation.
Since then Jonhathon has accrued nearly 100 onscreen credits,
working with many of the world’s greatest and most influential
actors and directors. He’s also a writer, producer, and director
himself, with multiple credits in each role.
It wasn’t until he saw his former costar Rose go public with her
story, that Jonathon felt ready to come forward with his. In the
January 11, 2018 issue of People Magazine, he published a moving
personal account of his harassment and sexual abuse by Franco
Zeffirelli on the Italian set of Sparrow, writing frankly about its
devastating effect on his next twenty-five years as a man.
If you don’t know what Jonhathon looks like, he said it himself on
Twitter: “I’m 190 lbs 6 foot and lean as a Cobra!” Every bit of
that is true. He’s a big guy with a powerful presence—and the
courage to talk about the vulnerability and fear that even big men
can suffer in the face sexual aggression from a respected and
powerful mentor.
***WARNING***
This podcast contains graphic conversations about trauma, rape, and
sexual violence.