Terry Crews won't be in 'Expendables 4' because a producer tried to silence him on his sexual assault

A popular excuse for not believing survivors of sexual assault is the bizarre misconception that speaking out somehow benefits survivors.

But actor Terry Crews -- who has been one of the most vital and fearless voices of the #MeToo movement since the beginning -- showed a very real, tangible cost to speaking out Tuesday. He confirmed that his lawsuit against his alleged sexual assaulter was the reason he wouldn't be in Expendables 4.

During his powerful testimony to a senate committee in support of the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights, Crews spoke candidly about his sexual assault, the culture that enables predators, and the price survivors pay for coming forward. Back in October, Crews filed a lawsuit against WME producer Adam Venit for assaulting him at a party in 2016.

When asked about whether he faced retaliations for filing the lawsuit, Crews said a different producer used his power to try to intimidate him into dropping it.

"I'd done three movies called the Expendables with Sylvester Stallone," he said. "The producer of that film called my manager and asked him to drop my case in order for me to be in the fourth installment of the movie. And if I didn't, there would be trouble."

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In a tweet back in February, Crews named that Expendables producer as Avi Lerner.

When the senator expressed her hope that he would be in the film, Crews elaborated with more appalling details.

"Uh no," he said. "Simply because this same producer is under his own sexual assault investigation. And, you know, abusers protect abuser."

Crews was referring to the fact that a few short months after Lerner threatened and attempted to silence Crews, Lerner was sued himself for allegedly sexually harassing female employees. Much of Crews' testimony focused on the culture of toxic masculinity and complicity that enables widespread abuse, with predatory men actively helping other predatory men avoid consequences.

"This was one thing I had to decide whether I was going to draw the line on: Am I going to be a part of this, or am I going to take a stand? And there are projects I had to turn down."

Losing the Expendables 4 role wasn't the only price Crews paid for not backing down. In a Buzzfeed interview, he talked about how fellow Expendables cast members have remained entirely silent throughout this experience.

"One thing that I faced when I came forward with my story was ostracizing, shame -- by people who look just like me. By other black men who called me weak, who said I must've wanted it," Crews said in response to another senator.

Throughout the testimony Crews not only faulted the culture of toxic masculinity for its abuses of women, but also for silencing male survivors of assault like himself:

"I sit here before your committee just as an example. Because a lot of people don't believe a person like me could actually be victimized. And what happened to me has happened to many, many other men in Hollywood. And since I came out with my story, I've had thousands and thousands of men come to me and say, 'Me too. This is my story, but I did not have the confidence or I did not feel safe enough to come out.' Because what happens is you get black listed. Your career is in danger. After that, no one wants to work with you."

Ultimately, Crews' lawsuit against Venit was dismissed because the assault happened after the statute of limitations for misdemeanors had passed. The purpose of Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights, which celebrities like Crews and Evan Rachel Wood have testified for, is to protect the rights of assault survivors on a federal level.

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One of those protections, which Crews focused on in his testimony, includes enacting standard procedures to ensure survivors are informed of their rights following an assault. "I heard time and time again the rights that my predator had. But I was never told the rights I had as a survivor. And that was my wake up call when I knew I had to be part of this today," he said.

After just a single month's suspension following Crews' allegation, Adam Venit went back to work at WME. Aside from advocating for survivor's rights, Crews is firm in his demand that predators face consequences for their actions.

"We can stop this now," Crews said. "This is fixable. But we do have to hold people accountable."

You can watch his full testimony here.