by Ilich Mejia
In 2015, actress Ashley Judd spoke to Variety as part of their Power of Women issue and declared a powerful studio head sexually harassed her during the making of 1997's Kiss the Girls. She detailed how he invited her to his hotel room and, once there, ordered her around while making her uncomfortable.
This morning, The New York Times reported that Harvey Weinstein, co-founder of prestige production companies Miramax and The Weinstein Company, has been confronted with several sexual harrassment accusations from underlings and colleagues that have resulted in at least eight out-of-court settlements...
The article includes a revelation from Ashley Judd, who confirms it was Weinstein who harrassed her when she was a budding star. The article also numbers models, assistants, and other actresses as victims of Weinstein's lude behavior.
Implications of Weinstein's inappropriate, casting-couch friendly behavior have been whispered about for years. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler even based a bit around his notorious promiscuity while they hosted the 2014 Golden Globes. Previous confirmations of his indiscretions have been voiced explicitly, but not often by women. Presumably, victims had been intimidated by his great impact in the industry and even beyond Hollywood. Recent reports of his company's financial woes have compromised his power and made him vulnerable to his past.
The Times reports that Weinstein has hired Lisa Bloom—who has, in the past, represented harassment victims like Janice Dickinson—to advise him during this time. In response to the article, he issued a statement to the same publication admitting his guilt and apologizing. In it, he ill-advisedly blames is behavior on coming of age during the 1960s, when harassment was not regulated. As of now, he has decided to take a leave of absence from The Weinstein Company and revealed his intentions to fund scholarships for female directors at USC.
Weinstein's actions should invite a necessary investigation into the insidious ways men in high-ranking positions abuse their power. Despite championing sensible, female-centric projects like Carol, Frida (co-starring Ashley Judd), The Hours, and the Kill Bill series, Weinstein participated in misogynistic behavior and got away nearly unscathed for close to two decades.
Until the next shoe drops, The Hollywood Reporter has reported that The Weinstein Company has picked up the rights to adapt Lisa Bloom's book about Travyon Martin's case for television.