Holly Hunter, who starred in the Miramax-distributed “The Piano” and won an Academy Award for her performance, has weighed in on the Harvey Weinstein scandal.
“The recent revelations about Harvey Weinstein both sadden and infuriate me,” she said in a statement obtained by TheWrap. “I had nothing but a professional relationship with him during the release of ‘The Piano.’ He was an extreme personality, but in no way was I knowledgeable of his inappropriate and assaultive sexual activities. This particular kind of culture within the film industry — and within virtually every other walk of life you can name — must be eradicated.”
She added, “To take advantage of that kind of power over another person is the lowest of the low. The destruction is deep and lasting. I join my community in standing by these courageous women.”
Hunter is the latest A-list actress to speak out about the widening scandal surrounding Harvey Weinstein, who was fired from his namesake studio on Sunday following a New York Times investigative story detailing three decades of sexual misconduct, including accusations that he propositioned actresses and harassed female employees.
Ashley Judd, Kate Beckinsale, Kate Winslet, Meryl Streep, Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Mira Sorvino, Heather Graham and Lea Seydoux are just a few women who have spoken out against Weinstein.
Harvey and Bob Weinstein co-founded the indie film company Miramax in 1979 and grew it into a powerhouse brand that made art-house films mainstream and reshaped the Academy Awards race with aggressive marketing and buzz with movies from “Pulp Fiction,” to “Shakespeare in Love” to “Good Will Hunting.”
The company was bought by Disney in 1993, and the brothers continued to run the company — and dominate Oscar races — until they left in 2005 to launch the new privately held Weinstein Company.