Punch sparks career fears
Jason Priestley says he punched Harvey Weinstein in 1995
Canadian actor Jason Priestley says he once punched Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein in the face at an industry party, which raised fears about his career.
The Beverly Hills, 90210 and Private Eyes actor shared his story on Twitter in response to a post about Mira Sorvino allegedly losing a role in “The Lord of the Rings” film series because of a smear campaign orchestrated by Weinstein.
Priestley, a native of Vancouver, says his run-in with Weinstein occurred at a Golden Globes party in 1995.
He says Weinstein ordered him to leave the party and then became aggressive even as Priestley obeyed.
Priestley says things were “getting heated” and that Weinstein grabbed his arm and asked him to go outside to talk about it.
He says he told Weinstein he wouldn’t go anywhere with him and proceeded to push him and punch him in the face. He says he was then escorted out of the party.
Priestley says his management team subsequently stressed how powerful Weinstein was in the industry and “strongly advised” him to write an apology. Priestley did not say if he ever apologized.
Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson recently told the New Zealand news outlet Stuff that Weinstein’s Miramax Films had called Sorvino and Ashley Judd “a nightmare” to work with and he thus didn’t consider them for roles.
Sorvino said Weinstein targeted her after she turned down his advances.
Judd and Sorvino are among dozens of women who have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct. A spokesperson for Weinstein disputed the account, saying Miramax was not involved in casting, which was handled by New Line. Weinstein has denied all allegations of non-consensual sex. The Canadian Press with files from The Associated Press.