Amazon chief ‘on leave of absence’ over response to Weinstein rape allegation
Move comes as film mogul faces fresh wave of sex offence claims
A senior figure at online giant Amazon, Roy Price, has been put on a “leave of absence” after claims he had been told about sex offence allegations against film producer Harvey Weinstein but said there was no proof.
Mr Weinstein, 65, is facing a litany of accusations of sexual harassment and assault from some of film’s biggest stars, with Kate Beckinsale becoming the latest British celebrity to speak out, revealing an alleged encounter when she was a schoolgirl.
Actress Rose Mcgowan – one of the first women to accuse Mr Weinstein of sexual harassment – tweeted on Thursday: “HW raped me”.
The 44-year-old actress made a series of claims in several tweets to Amazon chief executive and founder Jeff Bezos. She wrote: “I told the head of your studio that HW raped me. Over & over I said it. He said it hadn’t been proven. I said I was the proof.”
The actress also claimed the studio had won a “dirty Oscar” and added: “I love @amazon but there is rot in Hollywood.”
Mr Weinstein’s spokeswoman, Sallie Hofmeister, said: “Any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr Weinstein.”
Amazon said Roy Price, head of Amazon Studios, had been put on leave of absence “effective immediately” and said it was “reviewing our options for the projects we have with The Weinstein Co”.
After seven days that have rocked Hollywood, Scotland Yardalsosaiddetectiveswould be looking into an alleged sexwas ual assault in the London area in the 1980s.
The New York Police Department has also opened a separate investigation into Mr Weinstein. It said it would conduct a review to determine if there are additional complaints and has encouraged anyone with information to come forward.
Three women had previously accused Mr Weinstein of rape in an article in the New Yorker – claims he has denied.
Actress Kate Beckinsale also told of an encounter she had with Mr Weinstein when she 17, claiming he appeared at a meeting in a bathrobe and offered her alcohol.
In a post on Instagram, she wrote: “I was incredibly naive and young and it did not cross my mind that this older, unattractive man would expect me to have any sexual interest in him. After declining alcohol and announcing that I had school in the morning I left, uneasy but unscathed.
“A few years later he asked me if he had tried anything with me in that first meeting. I realised he couldn’t remember if he had assaulted me or not.”
It follows accusations from stars including Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie and Cara Delevingne.
Actress Sophie Dix – who played alongside Colin Firth in 1993 film The Advocate – claimed Weinstein had pinned her down in a hotel room when she was 22.
She said: “Before I knew it, he started trying to pull my clothes off and pin me down and I just kept saying, ‘No, no, no’. But he was really forceful.”
In an interview broadcast on Thursdaynight,actressemma Thompson labelled Weinstein a “predator” as she compared allegations around the film producer to the Jimmy Savile scandal. The two-time Oscar winner said the movie mogul was at the top of a ladder of “harassment and belittling”.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which hosts the Oscars, described the allegations against Mr Weinstein as “repugnant” and said it would meet today to discuss any action to be taken.
Bafta also announced it had suspended his membership.
“I was incredibly naive and young and it did not cross my mind that this older, unattractive man would expect me to have any sexual interest in him” KATE BECKINSALE