Kate Beckinsale Recalls 'Uneasy' Meeting With Harvey Weinstein When She Was 17
Kate Beckinsale was left "uneasy but unscathed" after a creepy hotel meeting with Harvey Weinstein. She shared her story -- and a powerful call for real change -- after dozens of other stars have come forward with their own very similar experiences.
Beckinsale's story happened when she was only 17, and she revealed that, years later, Weinstein asked her if he had tried anything in the meeting, since he couldn't even remember what he had done. She also revealed he has screamed at her and called her a "c*nt," which, sadly, is the least of the things he's alleged to have done. The actress also shared that one of her male friends tried to warn another woman about Weinstein, after hearing Beckinsale's story, and then he was blacklisted from Miramax for speaking out.
Here's her full Instagram story; it's worth it to read every word:
"I was called to meet Harvey Weinstein at the Savoy Hotel when I was 17. I assumed it would be in a conference room which was very common. When I arrived, reception told me to go to his room. He opened the door in his bathrobe. I was incredibly naive and young and it did not cross my mind that this older, unattractive man would expect me to have any sexual interest in him. After declining alcohol and announcing that I had school in the morning I left, uneasy but unscathed.
A few years later he asked me if he had tried anything with me in that first meeting .I realized he couldn't remember if he had assaulted me or not. I had what I thought were boundaries - I said no to him professionally many times over the years-some of which ended up with him screaming at me calling me a c*nt and making threats, some of which made him laughingly tell people oh "Kate lives to say no to me."
It speaks to the status quo in this business that I was aware that standing up for myself and saying no to things, while it did allow me to feel uncompromised in myself, undoubtedly harmed my career and was never something I felt supported by anyone other than my family.
I would like to applaud the women who have come forward , and to pledge that we can from this create a new paradigm where producers, managers, executives and assistants and everyone who has in the past shrugged and said "well, that's just Harvey /Mr X/insert name here" will realize that we in numbers can affect real change.
For every moment like this there have been thousands where a vulnerable person has confided outrageous unprofessional behavior and found they have no recourse, due to an atmosphere of fear that it seems almost everyone has been living in .
I had a male friend who, based on my experience, warned a young actress who said she was going to dinner with Harvey to be careful. He received a phone call the next day saying he would never work in another Miramax film; the girl was already sleeping with Harvey and had told him that my friend had warned her off.
Let's stop allowing our young women to be sexual cannon fodder, and let's remember that Harvey is an emblem of a system that is sick, and that we have work to do."
Here's the photo she shared with her post:
Beckinsale is just the latest star to share an uneasy (or worse) story about Weinstein. Gwyenth Paltrow, Cara Delevingne, Angelina Jolie, Rose McGowan, and many others have come forward with personal experiences. Other stars to denounce Weinstein's actions include -- by The Hollywood Reporter's count -- Meryl Streep, Judi Dench, Bob Iger, George Clooney, Jennifer Lawrence, James Gunn, Leonardo DiCaprio, Brie Larson, Megan Ellison, Julianne Moore, Seth Rogen, Kevin Smith, Lena Dunham, Judd Apatow, John Oliver, Patricia Arquette, and Mark Ruffalo, among others. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have also taken pains to distance themselves.
Weinstein is far from the only offender, and women are not the only victims, with Terry Crews and James Van Der Beek sharing their own stories of sexual harassment.
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