Some stories from the original 'GLOW' series.
This Friday season two of the hit Netflix series 'GLOW' will be released. The series is based on the 'Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling' women's pro wrestling promotion. The promotion kick-started in 1985 and featured unique characters with the majority of the actresses who were playing the roles not having much experience in the squared circle.
The director of the 80's TV series, Matt Cimber was described by the original cast members as a "drill sargent" type of man and some added that he constantly belittled them and criticized their bodies. VICE had the opportunity to speak with some of the original cast members of GLOW and Matt Cimber himself to grab both sides' respective stories on the work environment among many other topics. Sandy Manley who played 'Gremlina' on the original TV series GLOW stated that the director of the Netflix series got it right in portraying the aggressive nature of Matt Cimber.
“[Cimber] was a very, very blunt man—that part [Netflix] did get right,” Manley said. “Matt was very brutally blunt, and he was a very harsh motivator at times.”
Lillian Weaver who played "Corporal Kelly #2” in season three of the original TV series revealed to VICE that she cried nearly everyday from the hostile work environment. Weaver shared that she would have nightmares about Matt Cimber yelling at her and even after she quit the TV series she still is able to hear the voice of Cimber.
"You want to look at a hostile work environment? This was a hostile work environment,” she said. “I used to have nightmares about Matt. Even after I quit GLOW—him just screaming at me and screaming at me." Weaver continued, "He could’ve probably got better results using different methods, but that’s just who he was,” Weaver said. “Was it right or wrong? I wouldn’t say it was exactly right, but do I think that was the status quo for Hollywood at the time? Yeah, I think it was. I guess it’s changing now. But how long did it take before people started standing up and saying, ‘I don’t like being treated this way?’”
Matt Cimber stated to VICE that the reason for his particular way of directing was so that he could get the best of out of the actresses and seeing as how they were not well-experienced in-ring performers he had to go those lengths so that they could understand that they could've been seriously hurt performing in the ring.
"The key was discipline," Cimber told VICE. "If anybody got badly hurt, I would feel guilty, [so] I came down hard."
The full interview with tons more stories about harassment and not only the negatives from the series but the positives as well. To take a look the full piece, click here.
