'Everyone' knew about Weinstein harassment — actress Lea Seydoux | Inquirer Entertainment

‘Everyone’ knew about Weinstein harassment — actress Lea Seydoux

/ 08:05 AM October 12, 2017

French actress Lea Seydoux poses during a photocall ahead of a diner for the launch of a Louis Vuitton leather goods collection in collaboration with US artist Jeff Koons, at the Louvre in Paris on April 11, 2017. AFP

WASHINGTON, United States — French actress Lea Seydoux Wednesday became the latest in a string of female Hollywood stars speaking out to accuse Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment.

Writing in the Guardian, Seydoux claimed “everyone” in Hollywood knew “what Harvey was up to.”

Article continues after this advertisement

“That’s the most disgusting thing,” she wrote.

FEATURED STORIES

“It’s unbelievable that he’s been able to act like this for decades and still keep his career.”

Seydoux, who was awarded the Palme d’Or at the Cannes film festival in 2013 for her performance in “Blue Is the Warmest Color,” said she herself was harassed after meeting Weinstein for drinks in the lobby of a hotel.

Article continues after this advertisement

“He acted as if he were considering me for a role. But I knew that was bullshit,” she wrote.

Article continues after this advertisement

Weinstein then invited her to his room, she said, where he “jumped on her” and tried to kiss her after his assistant left.

Article continues after this advertisement

“It was hard to say no (to the invitation) because he’s so powerful. All the girls are scared of him,” she said.

“I had to defend myself. He’s big and fat, so I had to be forceful to resist him. I left his room, thoroughly disgusted. I wasn’t afraid of him, though. Because I knew what kind of man he was all along.”

Article continues after this advertisement

Seydoux, 32, also accused Weinstein of making sexist comments to her over the years — such as telling her she should lose weight.

“He also doesn’t take no for an answer,” she wrote.

“I once went with him to a restaurant and when he couldn’t get a table he got angry and said ‘Do you know who I am? I am Harvey Weinstein.’ That’s the kind of man he is.”

The actress also told of several other directors she worked with who would “abuse their positions” – insisting such behavior is “very common” in the industry.

Seydoux, who began her career in French cinema before breaking into Hollywood, said one director she worked with told her he wanted to have sex with her, and another tried to kiss her.

Meanwhile, she claimed another would “film very long sex scenes that lasted days” — repeatedly replaying them “in a kind of stupor.”

“If you’re a woman working in the film industry, you have to fight because it is a very misogynistic world,” she warned, adding, “only truth and justice can bring us forward.”

Weinstein was fired Sunday from his own film studio, three days after a New York Times report alleged he had preyed on young women hoping to break into the industry.

Since the bombshell report, The Times, as well as various entertainment media, reported his victims included Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Rosanna Arquette and French actress Judith Godreche.

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

Earlier Wednesday, British model and actress Cara Delevingne reported a similar experience to Seydoux’s, accusing Weinstein of attempting to kiss her after inviting her to his hotel room. /cbb

TAGS: " Palme d'Or, Entertainment, guardian, Harvey Weinstein, Hollywood, Lea Seydoux, Rape, sexual abuse, Sexual harassment

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our newsletter!

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

© Copyright 1997-2024 INQUIRER.net | All Rights Reserved

This is an information message

We use cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing, you agree to our use of cookies. Learn more here.