“Something that was very evident in the documentary is that Dan had a very large ego, and sometimes that ego clouded his better judgment and affected the way he treated people,” the ‘Victorious’ alum said.
Victoria Justice is sharing her thoughts on Quiet on Set.
While posing on the cover of Marie Claire’s first-ever music issue, Justice opened up about the Nickelodeon exposé, and her “complex” relationship with producer and show creator, Dan Schneider.
“Something that was very evident in the documentary is that Dan had a very large ego, and sometimes that ego clouded his better judgment and affected the way he treated people, and there were times I felt like I was being treated unfairly,” the Victorious alum shared.
Justice, who starred on the Nick sitcom from 2010 until 2013 after getting her start on Zoey 101 at the age of 12, said she believes Schneider owes her an apology for that unfair way he treated her during her time with the network. “I would say I’m definitely one of the people on that list,” Justice added.
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While she said nothing sexual in nature happened during her time working with Schneider, she did note that some moments that “were in poor taste.” Still, the 31-year-old singer-actress said her relationship with Schneider is layered, crediting the exec for giving her her first “big break.”
“I’m not condoning any of his behavior. At the end of the day, my relationship with Dan is a very complex one: I met him when I was 12 years old, and he’s the person that gave me this big break,” she explained. “He completely changed my life. Most likely I wouldn’t be here where I am today if it weren’t for him, and for him seeing something in me. For that I will always be grateful.”
Schneider faced myriad allegations from Nickelodeon alums in the documentary, which aired on Max earlier this year, including inappropriate behavior and sexual harassment. Most recently, he was hit with more claims of abuse from All That’s Lori Beth Denberg.
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He denied the bulk of those claims, but did apologize for his behavior in a video uploaded to YouTube after the docuseries aired.
“Watching over the past two nights was very difficult, me facing my past behaviors, some of which are embarrassing and that I regret, and I definitely owe some people a pretty strong apology,” he said at the time.
After watching Schneider’s apology video, Justice said she thinks “he recognizes that he did a lot of things wrong,” and believes that if Dan “could step back into a time machine, he would do a lot of things differently.”
Justice’s comments come after Denberg accused Schneider of “preying” on her while on All That, claiming that in the ’90s, Schneider showed her pornography, once fondled her and another time, initiated phone sex.
In an interview with Business Insider, Denberg said she felt Schneider had acted inappropriately toward her during a period when they worked together. She said that their “weird, abusive friendship” became sexual when she was 19.
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“I couldn’t have been more vulnerable,” the actress, now 48, said in the interview.
She told Business Insider she did not necessarily see their interactions as inappropriate at the time, given that she was older than 18, but in recent years she has begun to realize the power imbalance that existed between her and Schneider.
Schneider, who has filed al lawsuit against the creators of Quiet on Set, alleging defamation, responded to Denberg’s allegations in a statement to the outlet, calling her account, “wildly exaggerated and, in most cases, false.”
“As I have previously stated, there were times, particularly in the early years of my career, that I made mistakes and exhibited poor judgment as a leader,” he continued. “If I did that with respect to Lori Beth, I sincerely apologize to her. But I cannot apologize for things I did not do.”
