The chorus of Hollywood stars denouncing film producer Harvey Weinstein echoed across the Atlantic on Friday, even as his brother said business was “continuing as usual” for the embattled production company that bears both their names.
Weinstein Company cochairman Bob Weinstein issued a statement saying the company was not shutting down or exploring a sale following allegations that cofounder Harvey Weinstein sexually harassed or sexually assaulted dozens of women.
The statement mentioned a slate of three upcoming films — Polaroid, Paddington 2 and War With Grandpa — and said: “Business is continuing as usual as the company moves ahead.”
The public pressure increased on the one-time movie mogul, with Oscar-winners and former Weinstein colleagues Emma Thompson and Quentin Tarantino airing their displeasure, and more actresses coming forward to describe harrowing hotel encounters with the movie mogul.
“I don’t think you can describe him as a sex addict — he’s a predator. There’s a difference,” Thompson, who starred in the Weinstein-produced film Brideshead Revisited, said on BBC Two’s Newsnight. “What he’s at the top of the ladder of is a system of harassment and belittling and bullying and interference.”
About 30 women — including actresses Angelina Jolie, Ashley Judd and Gwyneth Paltrow — have spoken out to say Harvey Weinstein had sexually harassed or sexually assaulted them.
Harvey Weinstein was on Sunday last week fired by the Weinstein Company, a studio he cofounded with his brother.
Harvey Weinstein has denied any non-consensual sexual conduct with any women.
Thompson said she had only “business contact” with Weinstein, but recalled his “bullying behavior.”
The actress said there are “many” men in Hollywood in the Weinstein vein and asked: “Does it only count if you really have done it to loads and loads and loads of women or does it count if you do it to one woman, once? I think the latter.”
Tarantino said he was “stunned and heartbroken” about the allegations, but needed time to wrap his head around it.
In a brief statement via Twitter relayed by Amber Tamblyn, Tarantino, whose films Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and The Hateful Eight were produced by Harvey Weinstein, said he will address the issue soon.
“For the last week I’ve been stunned and heartbroken about the revelations that have come to light about my friend for 25 years Harvey Weinstein. I need a few more days to process my pain, emotions, anger and memory and then I will speak publicly about it,” Tarantino said.
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese