Thurman accuses Weinstein of assault

NEW YORK — Actress Uma Thurman accused disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein of forcing himself on her sexually years ago in a London hotel room. Weinstein, through his attorney, acknowledged making an “awkward pass” but denied any physical assault and suggested the possibility of legal action over her comments.

Thurman’s allegations against Weinstein, who has been accused of rape, assault or other sexual misconduct by scores of women, had been widely anticipated since she hinted late last year that she had a story to tell but wanted to wait until she was less angry. Her story came in an interview with New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd.

“I used the word ‘anger,’ but I was more worried about crying, to tell you the truth,” Thurman was quoted as saying. “I was not a groundbreaker on a story I knew to be true. So what you really saw was a person buying time.”

Thurman said that an early encounter with Weinstein in a Paris hotel room in the 1990s ended with him suddenly appearing in a bathrobe and leading her to a steam room but that she did not feel threatened. She said that the first “attack” — the word appears in quotes — happened later in London.

“He pushed me down,” she said. “He tried to shove himself on me. He tried to expose himself. He did all kinds of unpleasant things. But he didn’t actually put his back into it and force me. You’re like an animal wriggling away, like a lizard.”

Though the article doesn’t make clear how the London hotel room encounter ended, Thurman said: “Harvey assaulted me, but that didn’t kill me.”

Meanwhile, Ben Brafman, Weinstein’s attorney, said the producer was “stunned and saddened” by false accusations from Thurman.

He said Thurman’s statements to the Times were being “examined and investigated” before Weinstein decides whether any legal action against her would be appropriate.