When news broke out about Harvey Weinstein’s sexual harassment of numerous women, Oliver Stone was one of the few people who said something that could be interpreted as a defense of the man. In short, he said that he was going to wait until the whole thing had gone to trial before making a personal judgment about what was happening, which seems like a reasonable position to take. However, Stone combined said statement with a criticism of the response to the news as vigilantism, an expression of sympathy for what Weinstein was experiencing as a result of the news, and a claim that he has heard a lot of unpleasant stories about a lot of people in the entertainment industries. All while making no mention of the women who claimed to have been targeted by Weinstein whatsoever.
As a result, Stone’s comments provoked an uproar, which has convinced him to retreat from his previous comments. First, he now says that he is appalled by the reports while making mention of the courage of women who are willing to report such incidents. Second, he has recused himself from directing Guantanamo, which is being made with the involvement of Weinstein Television. However, it is interesting to note that there are now at least two claims of rather problematic behavior on Stone’s part, which if true, puts his previous comments in a much nastier light.
What Did Carrie Stevens Claim?
Carrie Stevens claims that Stone groped her at an event held more than 20 years ago. At the time, she was 22 years old attending an event at Ted Field’s house meant to honor Stone. Stevens states that she encountered Stone as he was walking out of the front door when he grabbed her breast and grinned in a rather unpleasant manner before continuing to walk out. Furthermore, she speculated that Stone could have groped others over the course of his career because people who do such things often continue to do such things so long as they can get away with them.
What Did Patricia Arquette Claim?
As result, it is important to mention Patricia Arquette’s claim of a series of events between she and Stone that were not as obvious but nonetheless more than a little bit unsettling in light of these facts. At one point in time, the two met up for a meeting because Stone was interested in getting Arquette involved in a movie that Arquette described as being “very sexual” in nature. Overall, the meeting was professional in nature. Afterward, Stone sent jungle roses, which seemed strange to Arquette even though sending flowers after such meetings was not unusual. As a result, when Stone’s assistance called to ask about whether she had received the jungle roses before inviting her to a screening of one of Stone’s movies, Arquette decided to accept but bring her boyfriend with her. However, this seems to have angered Stone for some reason because Arquette stated that he actually confronted her as she was leaving a bathroom about why she had brought her boyfriend with her, which prompted her to ask him why that would be a problem.
After telling her story, Arquette stated that she has been experiencing this kind of treatment for a long, long time. However, the most striking comment might be her statement that women are doomed to face criticism no matter how they react to such incidents, which based on what has been happening, seems to be a lot more true in real life than it should be.
