Two very high-profile actresses have come forward with their own tales of harassment at the hands of film titan Harvey Weinstein. Gwyneth Paltrow tells the New York Times that Weinstein harassed her when she was 22, and Angelina Jolie gave a description of a "bad experience" in her youth.
Paltrow first worked with Weinstein when she signed on to star in Emma, a film adaptation of Jane Austen's classic novel that Miramax (an independent film distributor operated by Weinstein) produced in 1996. Before she even appeared on set, Paltrow says she met with Weinstein at the Peninsula Beverly Hills hotel. Paltrow tells the Times he "placed hands on her," then suggested they both go upstairs to a bedroom for "massages."
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“I was a kid, I was signed up, I was petrified," Paltrow said. Paltrow then confided in Brad Pitt, her boyfriend at the time, who confronted the producer.
"I thought he was going to fire me," Paltrow explained to the Times.
In an email to the Times, Jolie described a similar experience. When they collaborated on the 1998 film Playing by Heart, Jolie says Weinstein made moves on her in a hotel room. She rejected him. She has not worked with him since.
"I had a bad experience with Harvey Weinstein in my youth, and as a result, chose never to work with him again and warn others when they did," Jolie wrote.
The Times also cites the actresses Rosanna Arquette, who told her story to The New Yorker, and Judith Godrèche, a French actress, as victims of Weinstein.
These admissions come on the heels of the Times' scathing exposé on Weinstein published last week. The piece details three decades of sexual harassment and assault, most of which had been hidden by intimidation, settlements, and nondisclosure agreements. The actress Ashley Judd notably recalled her own experiences at the hand of Weinstein. On Sunday, the Weinstein Company fired the producer. The company will reportedly take a new name in light of the recent allegations.
On Tuesday, the New Yorker published its own investigative piece on Weinstein. In the piece, Mira Sorvino and Rosanna Arquette recalled being harassed by Weinstein. The actress Asia Argento alleges that Weinstein raped her. Lucia Evans, once an aspiring actress, also describes being raped by the film titan.
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In a statement to the New Yorker, Weinstein's rep proffered a measly mea culpa. "Mr. Weinstein has begun counselling, has listened to the community and is pursuing a better path. Mr. Weinstein is hoping that, if he makes enough progress, he will be given a second chance."
This is clearly a man who deserves no more chances.
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