Two Canadian actresses join list of Weinstein accusers
TORONTO Two Canadian actresses have spoken out against embattled Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein as he faces mounting allegations of sexual harassment and sexual assault.
In an interview with the CBC Thursday, Erika Rosenbaum of Montreal alleged the fallen movie mogul made aggressive sexual advances during three separate meetings nearly 15 years ago.
Weinstein, who has been fired from the film company he cofounded, denied on Friday through a spokeswoman any allegations of non-consensual contact. He has issued similar denials on previous allegations.
Rosenbaum said she first met Weinstein at a Los Angeles party when she was in her early 20s. She said she met with him three more times to talk about her career, and alleged Weinstein acted inappropriately and tried to be intimate with her.
She alleged that during their third encounter — in a hotel room during the Toronto International Film Festival in the mid-2000s — Weinstein held her by the back of her neck and masturbated while standing behind her.
Meanwhile, in an op-ed published Friday on the Globe and Mail website, Mia Kirshner of Toronto alluded to “an ordeal” with Weinstein.
She alleged he attempted to treat her “like chattel that could be purchased with the promise of work in exchange for being his disposable orifice.”
Kirshner, who has starred in TV and film projects including The L Word and Exotica, outlined ways the Screen Actors Guild and the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists can “support their members in a more meaningful and tangible way.”
More than 30 women have accused Weinstein of inappropriate conduct since the scandal first broke in the New York Times.