The latest scandal in Hollywood revolves around film producer and co-founder of Miramax, Harvey Weinstein. Starting back in October, accusations of sexual harassment and other allegations against Weinstein began to surface in mainstream media. Only three days after the original story came out, Harvey Weinstein was fired from his position at the Weinstein Company, which he founded with his brother back in 2005.
Many famous actresses have come out with stories of unwanted advances, sexual harassment, and even rape. Among the accusers are Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Meryl Streep, Judi Dench, and Salma Hayek. In addition, these allegations cross both state and international borders, with both U.S. and foreign actresses being victimized.
The most recent story involves actresses Ashley Judd and Mira Sorvino. The ladies claim that Weinstein attempted to “blacklist” them — essentially ruining their reputation as entertainment professionals — after they refused to give in to his sexual demands. Director Peter Jackson recently confirmed their story, citing communications from Miramax that denounced both of the actresses. Not suspecting any wrongdoing on the part of Harvey Weinstein, Mr. Jackson simply purged their names from the cast list and refused to offer them any work. After the famous director shared this scandalous information on Twitter, Mira Sorvino sent out her own emotional tweet.
“Just seeing this after I awoke, I burst out crying. There it is, confirmation that Harvey Weinstein derailed my career, something I suspected but was unsure. Thank you Peter Jackson for being honest. I’m just heartsick.”
One of Ms. Sorvino’s followers, performer Tara Strong, responded to the tweet, name-dropping Beverly Hills, 90210 actor Jason Priestley. She stated that she “wouldn’t be surprised if this happened to my good friend [Jason Priestley] who punched Weinstein in the face at a club one night”.
A follow-up tweet from Ms. Crystal Paredes asked Jason Priestley for the full story behind Tara Strong’s tweet. The actor responded with a tale of conflict at the 1995 Golden Globes Miramax Party. Apparently, Weinstein and Priestley had gotten in to some sort of argument during which the Miramax producer told the actor to leave the party.
When Priestley tried to accede to this demand, Weinstein escalated the situation by grabbing the actor’s arm, stating that he “didn’t say [Priestley] had to leave”. When the 90210 star tried to tell Weinstein that he had already told him to go, the producer responded by asking Priestley if he wanted to “go outside and talk about this” whilst tightening his grip.
Jason Priestley, presumably (and understandably) taking this as a challenge, punched Harvey Weinstein square in the face. After this altercation, the security team forcibly removed Mr. Priestley from the premises. It is not clear whether this fight affected Priestley’s career — though Weinstein clearly had the power to alter the career of anyone who opposed him. However, Priestley likely did not apologize, even against the wishes of his public relations team.
After hearing about all of the terrible things that Harvey Weinstein has done to some of our favorite actresses, Jason Priestley has retroactively become an American hero. I doubt that there’s a single person in America who would disagree! Some might even give their weak arm for the chance to punch Weinstein themselves — after all, you’d need to save your good arm to deliver the best possible blow!
So, readers, what do you think? Did Mr. Weinstein deserve it? What do you think will happen to the disgraced producer — especially in light of the new information that came out about his alleged blacklisting? Let us know in the comments below.
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