Stars lift the lid on Hollywood’s biggest scandal
t’s the secret Hollywood has been too scared to speak out about for more than two decades – and Nicole Kidman and Brad Pitt are no exception.
But now as the scandal surrounding Hollywood’s most powerful producer Harvey Weinstein, 65 – who’s been accused of sexual harassment against scores of actresses, including Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Ashley Judd – reaches unprecedented heights, the A-list stars have been forced to open up about the bombshell allegations.
Brad, 53, has confirmed that he threatened Weinstein after the movie mogul attempted to force himself on Gwyneth, while Brad was dating her in 1995. Brad’s estranged wife Angelina has also revealed that she had a ‘bad experience’ with Weinstein, exposing Brad yet again to the producer’s predatory ways. Nicole, 50, meanwhile, has spoken out against the disgraced executive – who she’s had a long association with – saying: ‘We need to eradicate this behaviour.’ And while many A-listers have joined Brad and Nicole in publicly denouncing Weinstein, some say that his harassment was widely known in celebrity circles for years. ‘I know that everybody – I mean everybody – in Hollywood knows that it’s happening,’ said one of Harvey’s victims, French actress Emma de Caunes, 41. ‘He’s not even really hiding. I mean, the way he does it, so many people are involved and see what’s happening. But everyone’s too scared to say anything.’ Adds a senior Hollywood film insider: ‘All the senior A-list stars are taking this scandal very hard. The likes of Nicole and Brad all had a long and close association with Harvey Weinstein, and they consider themselves role models to the younger actors and actresses. ‘They know they couldn’t have necessarily stopped him and... the harassment that was so widespread, but they still feel guilty.’
The disturbing allegations broke after a bombshell investigation by The New Yorker was revealed last weekend. Now scores of women – including prominent celebs, foreign stars, up-and-coming actresses and assistants – came forward to reveal their stories.
The well-known stars who’ve come forward – apart from Angelina, 42, Gwyneth, 45, and Ashley, 49 – include Rosanna Arquette, 58, Mira Sorvino, 50, and Rose Mcgowan, 44.
The claims follow a similar narrative, with the women being duped into attending a meeting with Harvey or a female executive regarding work, only to be lured into a private room or hotel suite with the mogul, where he’d sometimes appear naked, suggest a massage or make other unwanted advances toward them.
While many were able to break away from the film boss, others felt they had to comply to his advances – otherwise their careers would suffer.
‘I was very afraid of him,’ said Emily Nestor, another of his accusers. ‘And I knew how well connected he was. And how if I pissed him off, then I could never have a career in that industry.’
Since the scandal broke, Weinstein has been fired from the company he co-founded, which has made scores of Oscar-nominated films.
His wife of 10 years Georgina Chapman – who is also mother to his two children, aged seven and four – has left the film boss.
A rep for Weinstein, who at the time of going to press was headed to Europe to attend rehabilitation for sex addiction, said “any allegations of nonconsensual sex are unequivocally denied” by Harvey, who never retaliated against “any women for refusing his advances”.
His estranged wife, Georgina, 41, told People. ‘My heart breaks for all the women who have suffered tremendous pain because of these unforgivable actions. I have chosen to leave my husband.’ NI
INSIDE THE BOMBSHELL ALLEGATIONS THAT THE ACTORS WERE FORCED TO KEEP QUIET – UNTIL NOW ‘I know that everybody – everybody – in Hollywood knows that it’s happening’