Salma Hayek became the latest Hollywood star to come forward with allegations of sexual harassment against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein on Wednesday, December 13, calling the mogul her “monster.”
A spokesperson for Harvey Weinstein responded to Hayek’s allegations of on Wednesday evening. “Mr. Weinstein does not recall pressuring Salma to do a gratuitous sex scene with a female costar and he was not there for the filming,” said the spokesperson in a statement to Us Weekly. “However, that was part of the story, as Frida Kahlo was bisexual and the more significant sex scene in the movie was choreographed by Ms. Hayek with Geoffrey Rush.”
The statement continued: “All of the sexual allegations as portrayed by Salma are not accurate and others who have witnessed the event have a different account of what transpired.”
In an op-ed published by The New Times, the actress described Weinstein as a rage-filled “monster” and claimed that he made several inappropriate sexual demands on the set of their 2002 Oscar-winning film Frida. According to Hayek, she repeatedly refused his sexual advances. “No to me taking a shower with him. No to letting him watch me shower. No to letting him give me a massage. No to letting a naked friend of his give me a massage. No to letting him give me oral sex. No to me getting with another woman,” she wrote.
Each refusal, Hayek revealed, was met with “Harvey’s Machiavellian rage.” At one point, Weinstein, 65, allegedly threatened, “I will kill you, don’t think I can’t,” she claimed. She went on to accuse him of threatening to shut Frida down unless she shot a nude sex scene with another actress.
“There was no room for negotiation. I had to say yes,” she revealed, adding that she had to take a tranquilizer to get through the scene.
More than 70 women, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Rose McGowan and Angelina Jolie have accused the former studio head of sexual harassment or assault. In the wake of the allegations, Weinstein was fired from his own company and expelled by the Television Academy, and his wife of 10 years, Marchesa designer Georgina Chapman, announced she was leaving him. Weinstein, who denies all allegations of rape against him, checked into a treatment center, but left after one week, Us Weekly confirmed on October 20, 2017.
