Business World

Not just Harvey Weinstein

- The Hollywood Reporter Reporter.

REYKJAVIK, ICELAND — Icelandic pop singer Bjork said Sunday she was sexually harassed by a film director, saying she was inspired to speak out by the flood of separate allegation­s against US producer Harvey Weinstein.

In a post on her Facebook page, the singer-songwriter said she “became aware” that “it is a universal thing that a director can touch and harass his actresses at will and the institutio­n of film allows it.”

The 51-year-old musician, a former leader of The Sugarcubes post-punk group, did not name the film maker, but said he had “a staff of dozens who enabled... and encouraged” his behavior. “When I turned the director down repeatedly he sulked and punished me” and “framed (me) as the difficult one,” she said.

Bjork said she was able to walk away from the incident with her career relatively intact, because she had “no ambitions in the acting world” but said she “worried” for other actresses who did not.

AMAZON CHIEF OUT

Meanwhile, Amazon Studios chief Roy Price was put on an immediate leave of absence Thursday, the company said, following allegation­s that he harassed a producer and ignored an actress’s claim of a sexual assault by producer Harvey Weinstein.

on Thursday reported an allegation by Isa Hackett, a producer on one of Amazon.com, Inc.’s shows, that Price had lewdly propositio­ned her in 2015.

Amazon said in a statement: ”Roy Price is on leave of absence effective immediatel­y. We are reviewing our options for the projects we have with The Weinstein Co.”

Hackett did not immediatel­y respond to a request for comment. Reuters could not independen­tly confirm the allegation. Price could not immediatel­y be reached independen­tly by Reuters and he declined to comment to the Hollywood

Price’s removal creates uncertaint­y about the studio’s direction when Amazon is investing more on video content than ever before — some $4.5 billion this year. The studio’s Chief Operating Officer Albert Cheng will step in as the interim chief, Amazon said.

Also on Thursday, actress Rose McGowan said on Twitter that she had told Price that she had been assaulted by Weinstein. In tweets directed at Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, she criticized the company for doing business with the Weinstein Co. —

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