Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow claim to have been S- hara**men by Weinstein
"If Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow are among Weinstein's victims, then this is just the beginning. The list is going to be huge," New York Times journalist Jodi Kantor wrote on Twitter.
That is the feeling that is spreading in Hollywood, while the voices that condemn the behavior of whoever was, until last Sunday, president of the film studio The Weinstein Company, of which he is a co-founder, is increasing.
Former US President Barack Obama issued a statement saying both he and his wife, Michelle, are "disgusted" by the reports about Harvey Weinstein and praise the courage of women who have come forward.
In turmoil, the producer's wife, designer Georgina Chapman, told People magazine that she has decided to divorce her.
The publication quotes Chapman as saying, "My heart breaks for all the women who have suffered enormous pain from these unforgivable actions." Chapman and Weinstein have two young children.
personal testimonials
The stories extend over time: some of the situations occurred in the 1990s, but other cases are as recent as 2015.
The product of a 10-month investigation carried out by journalist Ronan Farrow, adds to the information published on October 5. where it was said that Weinstein reached agreements with eight women so that allegations of hara**men did not come to light.
Although they did not participate in either of the two reports, Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow decided to share their own experiences on Tuesday.
Jolie told The New York Times that Weinstein made inappropriate advances toward her in a hotel room. The actress and film director turned it down.
"I had a bad experience with Harvey Weinstein in my youth and as a result decided to never work with him again and to alert other women when they did," Jolie said.
For her part, Gwyneth Paltrow described an unpleasant encounter with Weinstein when she was 22, also in a hotel room, which she later discussed with her then-boyfriend, Brad Pitt.
Pitt confronted Weinstein, who threatened to retaliate against the actress, something that ultimately did not happen.
labor retaliation
It was precisely the fear of reprisals from such a powerful man that kept so many women silent until now.
Unlike what actresses such as Meryl Streep or Judi Dench declared on Monday, who said they had not known anything, others such as Kate Winslet or Jessica Chastain have acknowledged that Weinstein's behavior was an open secret.
"I was warned from the start. The stories were everywhere. Denying that is creating an environment for it to happen again," Chastain wrote on Twitter.
In The New Yorker's report, actresses Mira Sorvino and Rosanna Arquette detail precisely how they were hara**men by Weinstein, and both claim that their careers were affected by these events.
Through his spokeswoman, Weinstein denies taking any retaliatory action towards the women who rejected him.
Sorvino told Farrow that Weinstein tried to have a relationship with her and even showed up one night at her house. The actress managed to make him leave by telling him that she was waiting for her (imaginary) boyfriend of hers.
The actress added that she did not speak earlier because she felt her encounter was "mild compared to other women's experiences."
She added: "I have great respect for Harvey as an artist, and owe him and his brother a debt of gratitude for early success in my career, including the Oscars."
Although she appeared in other Weinstein-produced films after that, Sorvino says she believes turning down the producer and telling a Miramax employee hurt her career.
"There may have been other factors, but I felt left out and I think my rejection of Harvey had something to do with it."
