Kate Winslet Breaks Her Silence on ‘Disgraceful and Appalling’ Harvey Weinstein Sex Abuse Allegations
Zack Sharf
The reactions over Harvey Weinstein‘s alleged history of sexual abuse continue to pour in from actors and directors who have a history working with the studio head at The Weinstein Company. Kevin Smith, who worked with Weinstein for over a decade, and Meryl Streep, who won the Best Actress Oscar for starring in Weinstein’s “The Iron Lady,” both released statements earlier today condemning the media mogul. Now Kate Winslet has broken her silence exclusively to Variety.
Winslet won her first and only Oscar for Best Actress for TWC’s “The Reader” in 2012. After five nominations, Weinstein had Winslet all set for victory by campaigning her lead performance as Hanna Schmitz in the Best Supporting Actress race, a prize she won at the Golden Globes and the SAG Awards. The Academy decided to keep Winslet in the lead race, however, to which Weinstein ruthlessly campaigned to give Winslet the edge over Meryl Streep in “Doubt” and Anne Hathaway in “Rachel Getting Married.”
The actress next stars in Woody Allen’s “Wonder Wheel,” and she’s already been at the center of controversy for agreeing to star in a film made by a director accused of molestation. “Wonder Wheel” opens December 1.
Read Winslet’s official statement, courtesy of Variety:
“The fact that these women are starting to speak out about the gross misconduct of one of our most important and well regarded film producers, is incredibly brave and has been deeply shocking to hear. The way Harvey Weinstein has treated these vulnerable, talented young women is NOT the way women should ever EVER deem to be acceptable or commonplace in ANY workplace.
“I have no doubt that for these women this time has been, and continues to be extremely traumatic. I fully embrace and salute their profound courage, and I unequivocally support this level of very necessary exposure of someone who has behaved in reprehensible and disgusting ways. His behaviour is without question disgraceful and appalling and very, very wrong. I had hoped that these kind of stories were just made up rumours, maybe we have all been naïve. And it makes me so angry. There must be ‘no tolerance’ of this degrading, vile treatment of women in ANY workplace anywhere in the world.”
