At 'Thor' Premier, Hemsworth, Ruffalo Latest Actors To Condemn Weinstein
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA/AP) — An avalanche of allegations poured out Tuesday against Harvey Weinstein in on-the-record reports that detailed claims of sexual abuse and included testimonies from Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie, further intensifying the already explosive collapse of the disgraced movie mogul.
At the Hollywood premier of the new "Thor" movie Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo were the latest actors to condemned Weinstein for his alleged decades-long sexual assault and harassment of actresses which include accounts from Rosanna Arquette and Mira Sorvino.
"I think it's absolutely horrific and unconscionable that he would use that position to take advantage of so many young women," Ruffalo said.
Added Hemsworth: "Yea it's awful and my heart goes out to anyone who suffered through that kind of abuse."
Jolie told the New Yorker via email:
"I had a bad experience with Harvey Weinstein in my youth, and as a result, chose never to work with him again and warn others when they did.
Three women accused Weinstein of raping them in a story published online by The New Yorker, including the Italian actress Asia Argento and a woman who was an aspiring actress in college when she caught Weinstein's eye. A representative for the mogul vehemently denied the allegations in a statement to the magazine.
In a statement released Tuesday, Hillary Clinton said she was "shocked and appalled by the revelations about Harvey Weinstein." Clinton also said, "The behavior described by women coming forward cannot be tolerated. Their courage and the support of others is critical in helping to stop this kind of behavior."
Also Tuesday, TMZ reported Weinstein has left the U.S. for Europe to attend a rehab center for sex addiction.
In a follow-up to its earlier expose, The New York Times also reported Tuesday that many other actresses have in recent days added to the chorus of accusations surrounding Weinstein. Paltrow described Weinstein's attempt to lure her. She claims she met Weinstein at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills to talk about a movie role when she was 22. She says he suggested they head to the bedroom for massages.
"I was a kid, I was signed up, I was petrified."
The incident prompted her then-boyfriend Brad Pitt to angrily confront Weinstein at a film premiere.
Both reports significantly ratcheted up the unfolding scandal surrounding Weinstein, who was fired Sunday from the Weinstein Co. They not only describe a mounting number of alleged incidents, but thoroughly document the systematic harassment, abuse and intimidation of women — almost always young actresses trying to succeed in movies.
Lucia Evans, then a senior at Middlebury College, said Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex on him in 2004 at the Miramax offices in Tribeca. She had been brought in for a casting meeting with Weinstein. Argento, an Italian film actress and director, said Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her at the Cannes Film Festival in 1999.
"I know he has crushed a lot of people before," Argento told the magazine. "That's why this story — in my case, it's twenty years old, some of them are older — has never come out."
Another accuser spoke to reporters Tuesday with celebrity attorney Gloria Allred by her side. Louisette Geiss, a former actress and screenwriter, says Weinstein harassed her when she pitched a script to him at the Sundance Film Festival in 2008.
Geiss described how he left in the middle of her pitch and returned in nothing but a robe, and offered her movie deals if she would stay in the room.
The New Yorker quoted Weinstein representative Sallie Hofmeister responding that "any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr. Weinstein."
"Mr. Weinstein has further confirmed that there were never any acts of retaliation against any women for refusing his advances. Mr. Weinstein obviously can't speak to anonymous allegations, but with respect to any women who have made allegations on the record, Mr. Weinstein believes that all of these relationships were consensual," said Hofmeister. "Mr. Weinstein has begun counseling, has listened to the community and is pursuing a better path. Mr. Weinstein is hoping that, if he makes enough progress, he will be given a second chance."
The story, written by Ronan Farrow, claimed that thirteen women have said Weinstein sexually harassed or assaulted them between 1990 and 2015. The incidents described range from unwanted groping to forced sex. Some of those incidents overlap with the eight allegations of sexual harassment previously reported by The New York Times, all of which resulted in financial settlements.
But they also go much further. In the article, Rosanna Arquette and Mira Sorvino are among those who claim Weinstein sexually harassed them. Arquette described a 1990s incident at a Beverly Hills hotel in which Weinstein tried to make her give him a massage and then attempted to lead her hand to his penis. Afterward, the actress told the magazine, "He made things very difficult for me for years."
The Italian news agency ANSA said it contacted Argento about the story, and said she responded with a text message that read: "It's all true, everything is written in the New Yorker. Now leave me in peace."
The New Yorker also reported that 16 former and current executives and assistants at The Weinstein Co. and Miramax either witnessed or knew of Weinstein's unwanted sexual advances. "All sixteen said the behavior was widely known within both Miramax and the Weinstein Company."
The New Yorker also revealed an audio recording made by the New York Police Department in 2015 in which Weinstein says he groped a model named Ambra Battilana Guitierrez. At the time, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., announced that an investigation didn't support criminal charges.
Weinstein was fired Sunday by the Weinstein Co., the studio he co-founded, three days after a bombshell New York Times expose alleged decades of crude sexual behavior on his part toward female employees and actresses, including Ashley Judd.
Weinstein responded to the report in a lengthy, rambling statement in which he pleaded for a second chance and apologized for the pain he had caused.
Since his firing, much of Hollywood has reacted with disgust and outrage, including Meryl Streep, Lena Dunham, Jennifer Lawrence and George Clooney. Congressional Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, have given charities thousands of dollars in donations they had received from Weinstein.
"I am saddened and angry that a man who I worked with used his position of power to intimidate, sexually harass and manipulate many women over decades," Ben Affleck wrote in a statement Tuesday. "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 our 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 more women in positions of power," said Affleck, who won an Oscar for co-writing the Miramax-produced film "Good Will Hunting."
Weinstein has not publicly commented since Thursday.
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