Harvey Weinstein (Image: INQUIRER.net Stock Photo)
Until the end, Harvey Weinstein desperately clung to power as a Hollywood mogul.
The Weinstein Co. chairperson issued an apology after a New York Times article exposed decades of sexual harassment cases against him.
“I appreciate the way I’ve behaved with colleagues in the past has caused a lot of pain, and I sincerely apologize for it. Though I’m trying to do better, I know I have a long way to go,” went his seemingly half-assed apology, with a promise to go to therapy.
But amid public outrage and resignations from the company’s all-male board, the board decided that he should be removed from his company, where he holds 42 percent ownership.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, prior to the decision, Weinstein personally emailed Hollywood executives from multiple studios to help him keep his job.
The message, dictated by a recipient to part-owner of The Hollywood Reporter Janice Min, is as follows:
“I could really use your support or just your honesty if you can’t support me.
“But if you can, I need you to send a letter to my private gmail address. The letter would only go to the board and no one else.
“We believe what the board is trying to do is not only wrong but might be illegal and would destroy the company. If you could write this letter backing me, getting me the help and time away I need, and also stating your opposition to the board firing me, it would help me a lot.
“I am desperate for your help. Just give me the time to have therapy. Do not let me be fired. If the industry supports me, that is all I need.
“With all due respect, I need the letter today.”
NBC Universal vice chair Ron Meyer, Discovery Communications CEO David Zaslav, and former Walt Disney Studios chair Jeffrey Katzenberg were said to have rejected his plea.
Weinstein received the notice of his termination via email Sunday evening in the US.
Weinstein independently produced films such as “Pulp Fiction” and “Shakespeare in Love” before forming The Weinstein Co. in 2005.
Behind the scenes, he perpetuated a culture of harassment and sexual assault among several actresses including Ashley Judd and Rose McGowan. Employees were not allowed to speak about it due to clauses in their contracts. Niña V. Guno /ra
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