Silence of the luvvies
Anger at the Hollywood stars yet to speak out over mogul’s sex harassment
THE US liberal establishment was accused of a ‘deafening silence’ over Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein last night as fresh evidence emerged of his predatory sexual behaviour.
The movie producer, 65, has faced a string of resignations from his firm and legal team since it emerged he had paid settlements to at least eight women over sexual harassment and unwanted physical contact claims.
Victims include an actress, a model and two of Weinstein’s assistants – one based in London. They accused him of appearing naked in front of them and asking them to watch him shower.
Despite being an open secret in the industry, his sordid behaviour continued for nearly three decades. Even after Weinstein – a prominent political donor to the Democrats – apologised, Hollywood stars refused to condemn him.
Chat show hosts have also been berated for staying quiet on the allegations which would usually have been used for programme material. Critics say it amounts to hypocrisy just months after fury in Hollywood over a tape in which Donald Trump admitted groping women.
Weinstein is known for taking films to Oscars glory, earning awards for stars such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Judi Dench, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lawrence – but last night they were all yet to speak out over this scandal.
Actress Rose McGowan, who reportedly received a $100,000 (£76,500) settlement from Weinstein after an incident in the mid-1990s, voiced her frustration at the lack of support from other stars.
‘Ladies of Hollywood, your silence is deafening,’ she wrote on Twitter.
The President commented on the revelations too, saying he knew Weinstein and was ‘not at all surprised to see it’.
The scandal emerged after actress Ashley Judd revealed that, in the 1990s, Weinstein lured her to what she thought would be a breakfast meeting in his Los Angeles hotel suite.
But the producer, wearing a dressing gown, asked to give her a massage. When she declined, he asked her to watch him shower. ‘I said “no” a lot of ways, a lot of times, and he always came back at me with some new ask,’ she said.
Weinstein has vowed to get help, taking an indefinite leave of absence from his firm.
But he denied many of the claims and said he would sue the New York Times, which revealed the allegations, for not giving him enough time to respond. The newspaper says it gave him two days.
Since the accusations came to light, more women have reported encounters with Weinstein. Ex-TV presenter Lauren Sivan claimed he once tried to kiss her in an empty restaurant before performing a sex act in front of her.
The alleged incident occurred in 2007, the year Weinstein married British fashion designer Georgina Chapman, whom he insists is standing by him. Two of Weinstein’s lawyers and three of his firm’s board have resigned.
There has been speculation his brother Bob leaked a report on his behaviour in a power struggle over the firm.
‘Caused a lot of pain’