Infamous Hollywood casting couch very much alive and kicking, talent agent admits

There still are plenty of weeds among the flowers in the Hollywood industry, and it seems the predators from the casting couch will probably never disappear.

Stars from Megan Fox, Lisa Rinna, Gwyneth Paltrow to Charlize Theron have confessed to falling prey to a number of legendary Hollywood directors that had tried to bed them since they found fame.

"I'm very much aware of certain talent representatives and producers who leverage their ability to help launch careers into getting laid by 'green' talent," Fox News quoted Alec Shankman, former Los Angeles talent agent and founder of the online casting agency GotCast.com, as saying.

Veteran acting coach Mirren Lee said more often than not those "certain people" are the not-so established industry folk that prey on inexperienced, naïve actresses.

And given the nature of the entertainment arena, it isn't just the ladies of Tinseltown but even aspiring male actors have to deal with this type of dilemma.

Nonetheless, Shankman said the most important thing is educating young talent on the issue.

"As long as they are smart enough to realise that success isn't driven by the 'casting couch' the problem will hopefully continue to diminish over time," he said.

"There are some incredible executives throughout Hollywood who are not looking to take advantage, but rather to nurture."