The Harvey Weinstein scandals become one of the most terrifying stories in Hollywood. While the news desperately spread worldwide, numbers of women who have been allegedly harassed by the mogul continue to rise.
Weinstein is one of the most powerful and influential icon so his downfall is one of the biggest humiliations for the entertainment industry. It’s pretty obvious why many celebrity and politician is now trying to dash away from the scandal as fast as they can, all claiming they had no idea he was such a creep.
Above all, he was a big-time donor to the Democratic Party and liberal causes. He hobnobbed with Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and other movers and shakers.
Lately, numerous women began to speak out against Weinstein. It is hard to imagine that few of these entertainment figures knew about Weinstein’s atrocious behavior, especially with the dozens of women coming forward to share their horror stories about the producer.
In the past, Weinstein could expect newspaper editors, stars like Matt Damon and other powerful folks to go to bat for him to protect his reputation. Now that protection is all gone and Hollywood has disowned him.
His friend, Ben Affleck also condemn him, he tweeted: “I am saddened and angry that a man who I worked with used his position and power to intimidate, sexually harass and manipulate many women over decades. The additional allegations of assault that I read this morning made me sick. This is completely unacceptable and I find myself asking what I can do to make sure this doesn’t happen to others. We need to do better at protecting sisters, friends, co-workers, and daughters. We must support those who come forward, condemn this type of behavior when we see it and help ensure there are women in positions and power.”
Hollywood enabled Weinstein, celebrated him and laughed about his harassment for years. It’s likely that his predatory behavior is normal for the business, as Corey Feldman and Elijah Wood have alleged.
This likelihood undermines entertainment elites’ greatest aspiration: lecturing the rest of the country on moral and political issues.
Conversely, Ryan Gosling has joined the growing list of celebrities who are lending their support to women speaking out about their experiences with Weinstein.
Actress Rose McGowan reported that her Twitter account was suspended for 12 hours following a tweet in which she alleged that Ben Affleck knew about Weinstein’s sexual misconduct.
Actress Asia Argento also claimed that she was assaulted by Weinstein when she was 21 years old, during her film with Miramax titled B. Monkey, which was released in the U.S. in 1999.
His boyfriend Anthony Bourdain later defended Argento, after she speaks out about her own sexual assault experience with Weinstein, and called him a “pimp” and a “predator.” Bourdain then directed his attention to Hillary Clinton, who appeared on Fareed Zakaria’s CNN show to say that she was “shocked” and “appalled” to see this “different side” of Weinstein.
Kate Beckinsale released a statement on Thursday at her Instagram account to report her own experience with Weinstein. The actress detailed how she was also harassed by Weinstein when she was still 17, claiming that her rejection of his advances “undoubtedly harmed her career and was never something she felt supported by anyone other than her family.”
In a powerful exposé published by The New York Times, Rosanna Arquette detailed what she thought was to be a hotel meeting with Weinstein about a potential role, which turned out to be a forced sexual encounter. “I’m not that girl,” she said she told him. “I will never be that girl.” She didn’t get the part.
French actress Marlene Jobert said her daughter, Eva Green, was also harassed by Weinstein. She said her daughter tried to avoid his advances but alleged that he threatened to destroy her career. Jobert said Green was targeted by Weinstein between 2010 and 2011 when her daughter tried not to reply to his overtures.
“It’s difficult, (she) took a long time to recover, she preferred to forget and not to talk about it anymore,” said Jobert.
Many more actresses in Hollywood recently shared their tragic experiences with Weinstein including Katherine Kendall, Judith Godreche, Heather Graham, Cara Delevingne, Léa Seydoux, Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Claire Folani, etc.
Weinstein’s wife, Georgina Chapman, issued a statement following the scandal, “My heart breaks for all the women who have suffered tremendous pain because of these unforgivable actions. I have chosen to leave my husband. Caring for my young children is my first priority and I ask the media for privacy at this time.”
Despite all the accusations and condemnations including his family, Weinstein issued a statement saying:
“Over the last week, there has been a lot of pain for my family that I take responsibility for. I sat down with my wife Georgina, who I love more than anything, and we discussed what was best for our family. We discussed the possibility of a separation and I encouraged her to do what was in her heart. In the end, she made the decision to separate … I understand, I love her and I love our children and hopefully, when I am better, I will be in their lives again. I support her decision, I am in counseling and perhaps, when I am better, we can rebuild.”
Meanwhile, The board of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is to hold an emergency meeting on Saturday morning to discuss action against Harvey Weinstein as the sexual harassment scandal surrounding the Hollywood producer deepens, reported by The Guardian.
The 54-member board made up of leading actors, directors and executives including Tom Hanks, Whoopi Goldberg, and Steven Spielberg may choose to expel Weinstein from the academy, following the exposure of sexual harassment and rape allegations against him going back decades.
Article Sources: The Daily Caller, New York Times, The Daily Dish, The Guardian, Jezebel, The Daily Caller/Facebook Photo Credit: Live Trading News Video Credit: ABC News/YouTube
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