Laurie Metcalf has addressed her decision to work with Broadway producer Scott Rudin on two of his latest projects, defending the choice by pointing to his efforts at rehabilitation. Rudin, 67, faced explosive allegations in 2021 of abusive, violent, and bullying behavior toward employees. He is now attempting a career comeback, serving as a producer on Broadway’s currently running revival of Death of a Salesman and last fall’s Little Bear Ridge Road, which concluded its limited run in December 2025. Metcalf, 70, starred in both productions.
The acclaimed actor has been a longtime collaborator of Rudin’s. In a new profile for The New Yorker, Metcalf turned to Rudin’s March 2025 interview with The New York Times, stating: “He talked about his therapy, he apologized, he owned what he said, he reflected on it. He was in the process of rehabilitation. So I just think that, unless we think there is no possibility of real rehabilitation, then we shouldn’t ask people to try and do it.” She added, “I knew you would ask me at some point. It’s so touchy. It’s so hard.”
In 2017, Metcalf led Rudin’s Broadway production of A Doll’s House, Part 2, earning her first Tony Award. That same year, she starred in Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird, which earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress; the film was also produced by Rudin. The following year, she appeared in his Broadway production of Three Tall Women, which brought her a second Tony.
Then, in 2021, The Hollywood Reporter published a bombshell exposé detailing a pattern of extreme bullying by the producer. Rudin allegedly smashed an Apple computer monitor on an assistant’s hand for failing to book him a seat on a sold-out flight, and hurled a glass bowl at another colleague, triggering a panic attack that required emergency medical care, according to the report. Multiple women also accused him of sexism during his decades-long career in entertainment. He later apologized in a public statement, saying: “Much has been written about my history of troubling interactions with colleagues, and I am profoundly sorry for the pain my behavior caused to individuals, directly and indirectly.” Rudin was never charged with any crimes related to the alleged incidents. The Independent has contacted him for comment.
After a four-year absence from the industry, Rudin announced his return to Broadway last July with Little Bear Ridge Road. Written by Samuel D. Hunter, the play, about an estranged aunt and nephew who reunite at the beginning of the Covid pandemic, first premiered in 2024 at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago. It later transferred to Broadway, but without the participation of Steppenwolf, reportedly due to Rudin’s past behavior. “Steppenwolf is proud to have commissioned the world premiere of Little Bear Ridge Road by Samuel D. Hunter, however we have decided to not take a role in producing the Broadway production,” the theater’s leadership said in a statement at the time. “We wish ensemble member Laurie Metcalf, director Joe Mantello and Sam all the best.”
Despite Rudin’s public apologies, someone involved with Steppenwolf told The New Yorker that Rudin “never made us feel that he had done the work.” They added: “It didn’t feel in alignment with our values and mission that he would come back on Steppenwolf’s name. In a precarious moment where we were rebuilding back from the pandemic, why would we partner with someone who the industry felt really harmed by? We can’t be a vehicle for someone to prove that they’ve changed.”
