Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie have joined others claiming Harvey Weinstein sexually harassed them in an explosive story in the New York Times.
The report on Tuesday follows a bombshell October 5 piece in the paper chronicling decades of sexual harassment allegations and financial settlements against the studio mogul.
“I was a kid, I was signed up, I was petrified,” Paltrow said about her experience as a then 22-years-old on the set of 1996’s Emma, an adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel that was one of her first big roles.
Jolie recalled a similar incident, saying she was propositioned in a hotel room during the release of 1998’s Playing by Heart.
“I had a bad experience with Harvey Weinstein in my youth, and as a result, chose never to work with him again and warn others when they did,” Jolie said in an email to the Times. “This behaviour towards women in any field, any country is unacceptable.”
The second Times story hit hours after the New Yorker produced a piece alleging Weinstein raped three women, including actress Asia Argento.
The New Yorker piece also claims that Weinstein harassed Mira Sorvino and Rosanna Arquette.
The Times reporters also spoke to Arquette about an encounter with Weinstein in which he propositioned her and threatened to derail her career after she rejected his advances.
The mushrooming sexual harassment and assault scandal has rocked Hollywood.
On Sunday, Weinstein was fired from the Weinstein Company, the indie studio he co-founded in 2005.
He has denied the allegations and said the relationships described in the Times and New Yorker stories were consensual.
The alleged instances of harassment date back to Weinstein's days running Miramax, an indie studio that was owned by Walt Disney.
Paltrow reported the incident to Brad Pitt, her boyfriend at the time. He confronted Weinstein about his alleged advances, and Weinstein later told her not to tell any other people about what had transpired.
Pitt confirmed her account to the Times.
Spokespeople for the Weinstein Company and Disney did not respond to requests for comment.
Weinstein's brother, Bob Weinstein, and the company's chief operating officer, David Glasser, are leading the studio following his ouster. They plan to rename the company.
On Tuesday Hillary Clinton praised the women who have come forward against Weinstein in an official statement, released hours after the New Yorker published its second report.
"I was shocked and appalled by the revelations about Harvey Weinstein," Clinton said in the statement. "The behaviour described by the women coming forward cannot be tolerated. Their courage and the support of others is critical in helping to stop this kind of behaviour."
Weinstein is a large donor to the Democrats party and to Clinton.
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Top Comments
I wonder if Gwyneth is in damage control. Despite what she's said here... she went on to do Shakespeare in Love with him filmed in 1997 and released in 1998. The rumour going around was Brad found her on her knees in front of Weinstein and that's the real reason they split up.
There are a large number of now big stars, once starlets, who won their breakthrough or Oscar nominated roles in his films by being complicit to his advances and requests. Actresses that were willing to go along with it and become his projects and 'it' girls Look around the web for photos of him with Renee Zellweger, they are very similar to the cosy-cosy of him with Gwyn, with Blake and recently with JLaw. All those actresses were low-key then shot to fame very quickly and very young, all photos look touchy feely, but now look creepy. Who do you think the leaked explicit photos of JLaw were taken by or for? I was always pissed how Gwyn won her Oscar over Cate Blanchett for Elizabeth - now we might guess at why/ how.