Jennifer Lawrence is upset with Harvey Weinstein's behavior. (Image courtesy: Jennifer Lawrence)
Highlights
- Ben Affleck, George Clooney voiced against Harvey Weinstein
- "This kind of abuse is inexcusable," said Jennifer Lawrence
- The Weinstein Company has fired Mr Harvey Weinstein
Harvey Weinstein's swift descent from the upper echelons of Hollywood to being fired from the studio he co-founded over allegations of sexual misconduct has been sealed with public condemnation from some of the film industry's top stars. George Clooney, Ben Affleck and Leonardo DiCaprio are the latest in a series of celebrities to voice their contempt for Mr Weinstein against whom the accusations are piling up by the day. It has now been revealed that the women he allegedly harassed also include
actresses Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow, in addition to Ashley Judd and others. The Weinstein Company has fired him and his wife, designer Georgina Chapman, says she's leaving him.
Harvey Weinstein's spectacular fall from grace has provoked an outpouring of criticism from the likes of Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Kate Winslet, Jessica Chastain and now actors like George Clooney.
Jennifer Lawrence, who won an Oscar for her performance in the Weinstein-produced
Silver Linings Playbook and thanked him in her speech, told
People: "I worked with Harvey five years ago and I did not experience any form of harassment personally, nor did I know about any of these allegations. This kind of abuse is inexcusable and absolutely upsetting."
Meryl Streep, whose films
The Iron Lady and
August: Osage Country were produced by Mr Weinstein and who referred to him as 'God' at the Golden Globes one year, said in a statement carried by
Huffington Post: "The intrepid women who raised their voices to expose this abuse are our heroes. One thing can be clarified. Not everybody knew... I didn't know about these other offenses: I did not know about his financial settlements with actresses and colleagues; I did not know about his having meetings in his hotel room, his bathroom, or other inappropriate, coercive acts. And If everybody knew, I don't believe that all the investigative reporters in the entertainment and the hard news media would have neglected for decades to write about it. The behavior is inexcusable, but the abuse of power familiar. Each brave voice that is raised, heard and credited by our watchdog media will ultimately change the game."
George Clooney, whose first major film
From Dusk Till Dawn and directorial feature
Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind were Weinstein-made, told told
The Daily Beast: "It's indefensible. That's the only word you can start with. Harvey's admitted to it, and it's indefensible. We've had dinners, we've been on location together, we've had arguments. But, I can tell you that I've never seen any of this behavior ever. I think that people weren't looking, because in some ways, a lecherous guy with money picking up younger girls is unfortunately not a news story in our society."
Ben Affleck, whose Weinstein-produced
Good Will Hunting won him an Oscar, and Leonardo DiCaprio, star of the Weinstein films
The Aviator,
Gangs Of New York and
Django Unchained, posted statements on Twitter:
Kate Winslet, who worked with Harvey Weinstein in films like
Finding Neverland,
The Reader, told
Variety, "The fact that these women are starting to speak out about the gross misconduct of one of our most important and well regarded film producers, is incredibly brave and has been deeply shocking to hear. The way Harvey Weinstein has treated these vulnerable, talented young women is NOT the way women should ever EVER deem to be acceptable or commonplace in ANY workplace."
Judi Dench, whose Weinstein-produced credits include
Shakespeare In Love,
Iris and
Chocolat, told
Newsweek: "Whilst there is no doubt that Harvey Weinstein has helped and championed my film career for the past 20 years, I was completely unaware of these offenses which are, of course, horrifying, and I offer my sympathy to those who have suffered, and wholehearted support to those who have spoken out."
Jessica Chastain, in a series of tweets posted over several days ever since the story broke, said she had been 'warned' about Harvey Weinstein.
Glenn Close told The New York Times: "For many years, I have been aware of the vague rumors that Harvey Weinstein had a pattern of behaving inappropriately around women. Harvey has always been decent to me, but now that the rumors are being substantiated, I feel angry and darkly sad."
Susan Sarandon praised the women talking about their experiences and posted a tweet:
Kevin Smith
Actor-director Kevin Smith tweeted that he was 'ashamed' that Harvey Weinstein had funded his films like
Jay and
Silent Bob Strike Back:
Harvey Weinstein, 65, co-founded the studio Miramax with his brother Bob and named for their parents Miriam and Max. Miramax and later The Weinstein Company produced Oscar-winning films such as
Shakespeare in Love,
The English Patient,
The King's Speech and
The Artist. His company's television work includes the reality show
Project Runway.