High life | 9 November 2017

A dinner in honour of Arki Busson hosted by Michael Mailer in his brilliant Brooklyn flat on the banks of the East River and overlooking the Statue of Liberty a quarter of a mile away. His father, Norman, had some pretty brainy people living it up in these premises, and Michael has continued the custom of feeding pretty women, bitchy columnists, talented cinematographers and brainy tycoons like Arki, who is one of the few I know who combine looks and the ability to seduce beautiful women with making lotsa moolah for clients.

Needless to say, everyone got very drunk — three beautiful ladies and five horny men, including the actor Griffin Dunne, who is not only talented but also a born gentleman.(His documentary on his aunt Joan Didion is extraordinary.) The subject at dinner was, needless to say, sexual harassment, and everyone at the table had the opportunity to have their say. Although many of those present were in the movie business, everyone was adamant that Hollywood is the pits. And always has been.

My view of Hollywood was the same but my theory went a bit deeper. When they were at school, the perpetrators were mostly indifferent to glory. While the rest of us tried to be Saturday’s heroes, breaking our bones and cracking our noodles on the sporting field, certain boys were hitting the books. Hence they did not get to kiss the campus queen after Saturday’s heroics. Once they got into the movies, however, they tried to make up for lost time and get the rewards we received when we were at school. A sudden entitlement ensued, and you’ve read the rest. It went down like the proverbial lead balloon.

One subject that the media have ignored is the organised ring for young boy actors that is believed to exist in La La Land.