Jennifer Lawrence is opening up about the sexual abuse scandal surrounding Harvey Weinstein, who produced her 2012 Oscar-winning movie Silver Linings Playbook.
“He was never inappropriate with me,” the actress, 27, told CBS correspondent Bill Whitaker on 60 Minutes on Sunday, February 25. “But what he did is criminal and deplorable. And when it came out and I heard about it, I wanted to kill him. The way that he destroyed so many women’s lives. I want to see him in jail.”
Weinstein, 65, was first accused of sexual harassment and assault in blistering exposés published by The New York Times and The New Yorker in October. Since then, more than 80 women, including actresses Rose McGowan and Gwyneth Paltrow, have come forward with allegations against the film producer, who has denied any claims of non-consensual sex. He is currently under criminal investigation in cities including Los Angeles, London and New York City.
Weinstein recently apologized for using Lawrence and Meryl Streep’s names in court in an attempt to have one of the lawsuits against him dismissed, a move that both actresses publicly denounced.
“Mr. Weinstein has been informed that his civil counsel responded in court to a class action lawsuit which improperly sought to include all actresses who had previously worked with Mr. Weinstein, even where those actresses have made no claim of wrongdoing,” a spokesperson for the former executive said in a statement to Us Weekly on Thursday, February 22. “Even though Mr. Weinstein has worked with hundreds of actresses and actors who had only professional and mutually respectful experiences with him, Mr. Weinstein has directed in the future that no specific names be used by his counsel, even where those actors have made previous public statements about him.”
The statement continued, “Mr. Weinstein acknowledges the valuable input both Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lawrence have contributed to this conversation and apologizes. Once again, moving forward, Mr. Weinstein has advised his counsel to not include specific names of former associates; and to avoid whenever possible, even if they are in the public record.”
