Weinstein’s behaviour ‘disgraceful,’ Streep says
Meryl Streep led an increasingly vocal Hollywood chorus condemning the reported sexual misconduct of producer Harvey Weinstein on Monday, issuing a carefully worded statement released to HuffPost. She decried the behaviour as “disgraceful” and “inexcusable,” yet also pleaded ignorance about it, writing, “Not everybody knew.”
Streep’s statement seemed to have opened the floodgates, with Glenn Close and Judi Dench, among others, soon voicing their own dismay and disgust about Weinstein.
In recent days, after the New York Times released a scathing investigation Thursday chronicling accusations that Weinstein had sexually harassed employees and actresses, many people called for reactions from Hollywood’s A-list players, and especially Streep, a longtime champion of women’s causes who worked with Weinstein on films like August: Osage County and The Iron Lady.
Weinstein was fired Sunday night from his production company, the Weinstein Co., which said the decision was made “in light of new information about misconduct by Harvey Weinstein that has emerged in the past few days.”
In her statement, Streep said Weinstein had been “respectful” during their working relationship and challenged the widely repeated narrative that his misbehaviour had long been an open secret. “The disgraceful news about Harvey Weinstein has appalled those of us whose work he championed, and those whose good and worthy causes he supported,” Streep said. “The intrepid women who raised their voices to expose this abuse are our heroes.”
In a statement to the Times, Close said that she felt “angry and darkly sad” at news of the accusations, and that while Weinstein had been decent with her, she had heard rumours of inappropriate behaviour toward women over many years.
Dench, who has credited Weinstein with launching her film career, said in a statement to Newsweek that while she had been “completely un- aware” of any misconduct, she found it “horrifying,” and gave her “wholehearted support to those who have spoken out.”
Several prominent men in show business took to Twitter to comment on the allegations. “He financed the first 14 years of my career — and now I know while I was profiting, others were in terrible pain,” wrote director Kevin Smith. “It makes me feel ashamed.” Judd Apatow called Weinstein’s actions “abhorrent,” and Mark Ruffalo said they were “a disgusting abuse of power.”
Meanwhile, appearing Monday on NBC’s Megyn Kelly Today, Los Angeles TV reporter Lauren Sivan alleged that Weinstein lured her downstairs in a New York restaurant in 2007, cornered her in a vestibule, tried to kiss her and then masturbated in front of her. Kelly said Weinstein did not respond to a request to comment on the allegations Sivan presented on her program.