The fallout continues
Sex-abuse reports intensify, post–harvey Weinstein HOLLYWOOD SEX SCANDAL
AS SEXUAL HARASSMENT and assault claims against Harvey Weinstein reverberate, Reese Witherspoon has revealed she was assaulted by a director when she was 16. The Oscar winner told guests at Elle’s Women in Hollywood event on Oct. 16 that she felt “true disgust at the director who assaulted me when I was 16 years old, and anger at the agents and the producers who made me feel that silence was a condition of my employment.” Witherspoon, 41, added that, sadly, it was not an isolated incident in her career. “I’ve had multiple experiences of harassment and sexual assault, and I don’t speak about them very often, but after hearing all the stories these past few days and hearing these brave women speak up tonight, the things that we’re kind of told to sweep under the rug and not talk about, it’s made me want to speak up and speak up loudly, because I felt less alone this week than I’ve ever felt in my entire career.” At the same event, Jennifer Lawrence, 27, added her voice to the chorus of women who have suffered harassment and assault in the industry, revealing that a director of a movie she made early on asked her “if he could have me star in a porno as the character.” She also said that producers of that film urged her to lose 15 lb (6.8kg) in two weeks. For inspiration, she said, one of the female producers had her stand in a nude line-up with thinner women. When she protested, a male producer “supported” her by suggesting she was already attractive enough to have sex with. In the meantime, disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein, who has been the subject of claims of harassment and sexual assault by more than 40 women—has reportedly checked out of a week’s outpatient program for psychological issues. According to TMZ, Weinstein was involved in “intensive therapy” at a clinic in Arizona where, his psychologist told the site, the