Stars speak out over Weinstein allegations

George Clooney has become the latest Hollywood star to speak out over Harvey Weinstein – branding the producer’s alleged behaviour “indefensible”.

Weinstein has been dismissed from the Weinstein Company, while Meryl Streep, Kate Winslet and Dame Judi Dench have thrown their support behind the women making the allegations of sexual harassment.

Clooney, who got his bigscreen break as an actor and then later as director with help from Weinstein, told the Daily Beast website: “It’s indefensible. That’s the only word you can start with.

“I’ve known Harvey for 20 years...we’ve had dinners, we’ve been on location together, we’ve had arguments. But I can tell you that I’ve never seen any of this behaviour – ever.”

His comments come as British actress Romola Garai said that Weinstein wore a dressing gown as he auditioned her for a movie role when she was just 18.

Garai told the Guardian: “I had to go to his hotel room in the Savoy and he answered the door in his bathrobe. I was only 18. I felt violated by it. It has stayed very clearly in my memory.”

Weinstein, who co-founded the Weinstein Company alongside his brother Bob in 2005, was dismissed from the studio “with immediate effect” on Sunday.

In his apology, Weinstein said he appreciated that the way he had behaved with colleagues in the past “has caused a lot of pain” and he realised he “needed to be a better person”.