Gwyneth Paltrow revealed that she was harassed by Harvey Weinstein — who was recently fired from The Weinstein Company amid allegations of sexual misconduct — when she was 22.
While shooting Emma in 1996, Weinstein, 65, allegedly summoned Paltrow to his suite at the Peninsula Beverly Hills for a meeting and suggested they give one another massages in the bedroom. “I was a kid, I was signed up, I was petrified, the 45-year-old actress told The New York Times in an interview published on Tuesday, October 10, noting that she confided in then-boyfriend Brad Pitt.
After learning of the alleged harassment, Pitt, 53, “very clearly and strongly and unequivocally” confronted the movie mogul at a party, a source confirms to Us Weekly.
Afterward, Paltrow claims that the the producer told her not to tell anyone about the incident.
“I thought he was going to fire me,” Paltrow, who said she considered Weinstein to be her mentor, recalled to the newspaper.
Soon after, Pitt confronted Weinstein again for his alleged behavior, and the former film studio executive scolded the Iron Man actress for discussing the incident at the hotel. “He screamed at me for a long time,” she continued. “It was brutal … I was expected to keep the secret.”
Paltrow explained that although she maintained a professional relationship with Weinstein in the public eye, their personal relationship became distant. “He was alternately generous and supportive and championing and punitive and bullying,” she said.
The Shakespeare in Love actress decided to come forward in order to help support other women in similar situations and help them feel less alone. “We’re at a point in time when women need to send a clear message that this is over,” Paltrow added. “This way of treating women ends now.”
As previously reported, Weinstein was fired from his own company on Sunday, October 8, amid allegations of sexual harassment published by The New York Times on Thursday, October 5. “In light of new information about misconduct by Harvey Weinstein that has emerged in the past few days, the directors of The Weinstein Company — Robert Weinstein, Lance Maerov, Richard Koenigsberg and Tarak Ben Ammar — have determined, and have informed Harvey Weinstein, that his employment with The Weinstein Company is terminated, effective immediately,” the board of representatives said in a statement to Us Weekly.
The Oscar-winning filmmaker took a leave of absence from his studio late last week after the NYT published a report alleging decades of sexual harassment claims against him.
“I came of age in the ‘60s and ‘70s, when all the rules about behavior and workplaces were different. That was the culture then,” Weinstein wrote in a statement on Thursday, October 5. “I have since learned it’s not an excuse in the office — or out of it. To anyone. I realized some time ago that I needed to be a better person and my interactions with the people I work with have changed. I appreciate the way I’ve behaved with colleagues in the past has caused a lot of pain and I sincerely apologize for it. Though I’m trying to do better, I know I have a long way to go. That is my commitment.”
Numerous stars have since spoken out against Weinstein, including America Ferrera, who denounced Weinstein’s “abuse of power.”
