Sanctimony of handwringing luvvies
Since the allegations against Harvey Weinstein emerged, a string of celebrities have admitted they had heard rumours about his behaviour over the years – but said nothing until now. They include:
KATE WINSLET, 42:
Won the Best Actress Oscar in 2009 for her role in The Reader, which was produced by the Weinstein Company. She said: ‘I had hoped that these kind of stories were just made up rumours, maybe we have all been naive.’
GEORGE CLOONEY, 56:
Weinstein gave him his first big break in the 199 film From Dusk till Dawn. He said: ‘I’ve heard rumours, and the rumours in general started back in the 90s, and they were that certain actresses had slept with Harvey to get a role. It seemed like a way to smear the actresses and demean them by saying that they didn’t get the jobs based on their talent, so I took those rumours with a grain of salt.’
EWAN MCGREGOR, 46:
Miramax distributed his breakthrough film Trainspotting in 199 . He said: ‘Weinstein. It’s about time this came to light and he is getting his just deserts. Heard rumours over the years but this is awful. Bye Bully!’
JESSICA CHASTAIN, 40:
Has starred in a number of films produced or distributed by the Weinstein Company including Lawless in 2012 and The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby the following year. She said: ‘I was warned from the beginning. The stories were everywhere. To deny that is to create an environment for it to happen again.’
GLENN CLOSE, 70:
Appeared in Hoodwinked!, which was distributed by the Weinstein Company. She said: ‘I’m sitting here, deeply upset, acknowledging to myself that, yes, for many years, I have been aware of the vague rumours that Harvey Weinstein had a pattern of behaving inappropriately around women. Harvey has always been decent to me, but now the rumours are being substantiated, I feel angry and darkly sad.’
GRETCHEN MOL, 44:
The actress said: ‘I had heard similar rumours about other actresses and Harvey Weinstein for years, even before I heard them about myself. I knew that it was not true in my case, so I naively assumed it was equally false in general.
‘The consistent implication was that actresses were eager for the bargain, that we wanted fame and fortune so desperately that we would make this kind of nauseating concession. This is another kind of misogyny, and blame-shifting.’
REBECCA HALL, 35:
Starred in Vicky Cristina Barcelona, produced by the Weinstein Company. She said: ‘There have been rumours circulating forever. I’ve known about them, I’ve certainly been quietly protected, without really ever being told why. I certainly was never allowed near a meeting with him on my own. In retrospect, I understand why, even if my representatives weren’t explicitly telling me.’
LENA DUNHAM, 31:
The actress and writer said: ‘I performed at a benefit for Hillary Clinton organized by the Weinstein Company. I had heard the rumours. I felt that going onstage under his aegis was a betrayal of my own values... I’m sorry I shook the hand of someone I knew was not a friend to women in my industry.’
TASMIN LUCIA-KHAN, 37:
The BBC News host said: ‘I declined meeting Weinstein because I had heard all the rumours. Surely those around him always knew – and did nothing. #complicit’
JUSTINE MUSK, 45:
Author and first wife of billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk. She said: ‘I’ve heard rumours about Weinstein for years. I wonder if it’s not that women are ready to speak, but that the culture is ready to listen.’
EMILY BEST, 37:
A Los Angeles-based film producer, she said she was not surprised when she got a text about the Weinstein allegations. She said: ‘Nobody had good stories about him… We’re all complicit, and it has to stop. The industry at large provided shelter for his bad behaviour directly and indirectly.’
ANGELA WORKMAN:
A scriptwriter. She said: ‘I wrote a script for Weinstein Co though I never met Harvey. Heard vague rumours, shrugged.’