Harvey Weinstein: The Fall of a ‘Liberal Lion’
High-powered Hollywood executive Harvey Weinstein is facing decades of sexual harassment allegations, courtesy of a damning New York Times report that’s sure to upend the entertainment industry.
Weinstein is a man of many titles and accolades. He’s the co-founder of Miramax and the co-chairman of The Weinstein Company. He’s an Oscar and Tony Award-winning producer whose name has become synonymous with aggressive awards season campaigns and somewhat unsavory business practices . Still, the incredibly successful executive has previously managed to overcome almost all of his bad press. He’s maintained close relationships with influential entertainers and politicians, and even employed Barack Obama’s eldest daughter, Malia Obama , as an intern at The Weinstein Company’s New York office.
Although Weinstein was questioned by police in 2015 over allegedly groping a 22-year-old Italian model, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office ultimately decided not to pursue the charges. Issuing a statement on that decision two years ago, Weinstein’s spokesperson Risa Heller said that , “We are pleased this episode is behind us.”
Well, it now appears that “this episode” is actually just beginning, with a host of women coming forward to out the superproducer’s predatory behavior. Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey’s Times piece mentions “eight women” who described a spectrum of assault and harassment by Weinstein, including , “appearing nearly or fully naked in front of them, requiring them to be present while he bathed or repeatedly asking for a massage or initiating one himself.”
The article continues , “The women, typically in their early or mid-20s and hoping to get a toehold in the film industry, said he could switch course quickly—meetings and clipboards one moment, intimate comments the next…Across the years and continents, accounts of Mr. Weinstein’s conduct share a common narrative: Women reported to a hotel for what they thought were work reasons, only to discover that Mr. Weinstein, who has been married for most of three decades, sometimes seemed to have different interests.”
In 2015, Weinstein employee Lauren O’Connor reportedly wrote a memo “addressed to several executives” citing numerous instances of abuse and misconduct. She described one female assistant who was left “crying and very distraught” after Weinstein allegedly “badgered her into giving him a massage while he was naked.” Summarizing her experiences and observations over the course of a two-year period, O’Connor concluded that , “There is a toxic environment for women at this company.” The memo further alleges that she and other female Weinstein employees “were being used to facilitate liaisons with ‘vulnerable women who hope he will get them work.’” She wrote , “The balance of power is me: 0, Harvey Weinstein: 10.”
One of these alleged “vulnerable women” was Emily Nestor, a temporary employee who Weinstein invited to his hotel room in 2014. The Times reports that Weinstein proceeded to make Nestor an “offer”: “If she accepted his sexual advances, he would boost her career.”
https://www.thedailybeast.com/harvey-weinstein-the-fall-of-a-liberal-lion
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