Weinstein ‘told grope victim: I made Salma and Charlize stars... this is how it works’
Harvey Weinstein implied that he launched the careers of Uma Thurman, Charlize Theron and Salma Hayek because they slept with him, his rape trial heard yesterday.
Dawn Dunning, 40, said the disgraced mogul dropped the names of the award-winning actresses when he tried to pressure her into sex.
They met in 2004 when she was working as a waitress and looking for her big break in Hollywood.
She told the court she gave Weinstein, 67, her number but was surprised when his assistant called her to set up the first of several meetings.
‘He would make comments about my looks or my body but it wasn’t any worse than what I dealt with at nightclubs or anywhere else,’ she said. ‘There were no red flags.’
at one point she was summoned to a suite at the Intercontinental Hotel in New york, thinking she was in consideration for a part in the 2005 thriller Derailed, starring Jennifer aniston.
‘This is how the industry works’
When she was shown into the room, Weinstein was wearing an ‘open bathrobe’ with no clothes on underneath.
‘There was a coffee table and I noticed three stacks of paper,’ she told the New york supreme court.
‘For some reason the tone – something – just seemed different. He was more serious.
‘He cut to the chase and said, “Here’s three contracts for three films. I will sign them today if you have a threesome with me and my assistant.”
‘I laughed, I thought he was kidding. He got really angry and started screaming. He said, “you’ll never make it in this business! This is how” – he named three actresses – “got to where they are.” ’ asked to name the women, Miss Dunning said: ‘It was Charlize Theron, Salma Hayek and I believe Uma Thurman.’
Weinstein was a ‘big guy and he was towering over me and I was really scared’, she said, adding she ran out of the room and ‘heard him screaming as I was leaving’. Miss Dunning had jumped at an invitation to screen-test for movie roles, the court heard, but at their first professional meeting, Weinstein put his hand up her skirt.
‘I stood up. I was in shock,’ she said, fighting back tears. He just started talking really fast. He said, “Don’t make a big deal about this... it will never happen again.” ’ She said she did not call the police because ‘I didn’t know what he did was illegal’. after her experiences with Weinstein, she abandoned her plans to be an actress.
The producer’s lawyers have claimed his accusers are looking to profit from the MeToo movement, which began after numerous actresses came forward to tell of liaisons with the Miramax film company founder.
asked if she was gaining anything by testifying at the trial, Miss Dunning tearfully replied: ‘No, if anything I’m losing. This is the worst and hardest thing I’ve ever done. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.’
Weinstein is standing trial over allegations relating to two accusers, but is not charged with any crime relating to Miss Dunning. She came to court as a ‘Molineux’ witness – someone giving evidence for the prosecution in a bid to prove a pattern of behaviour.
Weinstein denies rape, a criminal sex act, sex abuse and sexual misconduct. The case continues.