Kate Winslet says that one of the best things that’s ever happened is the fact that she’s “never going to have to deal with Harvey Weinstein again as long as I live.”
In a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, the actress added that she’s sure “the feeling is universal.” She also said that her not mentioning Harvey Weinstein during her acceptance speech when she won in the lead actress category for “The Reader” in 2009 was “absolutely deliberate.” Weinstein’s company financed and distributed the movie.
“I remember being told, ‘Make sure you thank Harvey if you win.’ And I remember turning around and saying, ‘No I won’t. No I won’t.’ And it was nothing to do with not being grateful. If people aren’t well-behaved, why would I thank him?” she explained.
Following exposes in The New York Times and The New Yorker, in which multiple women accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct, including harassment and rape, Winslet said in a statement that Weinstein behavior was “reprehensible and disgusting.”
Now, the actress detailed further interactions with Weinstein, saying he was “bullying and nasty” and “always very, very hard to deal with.”
“For my whole career, Harvey Weinstein, whenever I’ve bumped into him, he’d grab my arm and say, ‘Don’t forget who gave you your first movie,’” she explained, referring to her first movie, “Heavenly Creatures” for Miramax Films. “Like I owe him everything. Then later, with ‘The Reader,’ same thing, ‘I’m gonna get you that Oscar nomination, I’m gonna get you a win, I’m gonna win for you.’”
She added, “But that’s how he operated. He was bullying and nasty. Going on a business level, he was always very, very hard to deal with — he was rude. He used to call my female agent a [vulgar name for a woman] every time he spoke to her on the telephone.”
Of “The Reader,” Winslet said, “I can’t even begin to describe the disgraceful behavior that went on — and I’m actually not going to because it’s a can of worms that I’m not prepared to publicly open — nothing to do with sexual harassment, thankfully, lucky me. My god. I somehow dodged that bullet.”
However, she does mention that Weinstein shut down production on the film with four days left on the schedule. And that was the last time she worked with Weinstein.
“Damn right,” Winslet said. “I … stand up for myself and I don’t pander to what you’re supposed to do and what you’re not supposed to do. I won’t be pushed around or bullied by anyone. I was bullied as a child. Never again. Certainly not by Harvey Weinstein.”
Weinstein was fired from TheWeinstein Company and is under criminal investigation in New York and London. A representative for Weinstein has stated, “Any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr. Weinstein. Mr.Weinstein has further confirmed that there were never any acts of retaliation against any women for refusing his advances.”