Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has finally spoken in his first interview in over a year, and what he has to say is not at all what you’d expect to hear. According to Weinstein, he’s a “forgotten man.” In fact, he states people should overlook the allegations that he’s sexually assaulted women and appreciate him for giving women filmmakers and actresses opportunities to work in Hollywood.
“I made more movies directed by women and about women than any filmmaker, and I’m talking about 30 years ago, I’m not talking about now when it’s vogue,” he told The New York Post. “I did it first, I pioneered it.”
He even goes on to state that, “My work has been forgotten.”
The interview was conducted for The New York Post’s Page Six column in a private room at the New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. He was resting there after having had spinal surgery following a car accident in August.
One example he specifically mentions is actress Gwyneth Paltrow. He said she was paid $10 million in 2003 for starring in View From the Top. According to him, she “was the highest-paid female actor in an independent film, higher paid than all the men,” Harvey Weinstein told The Post.
Interestingly, Gwyneth Paltrow is one of many women to claim Weinstein sexually harassed her. In the allegations she made again Weinstein, she explained he’d lured her to a hotel room under false pretenses when she was 22 and attempted to give her a massage.
It appears Harvey Weinstein did the interview in an attempt to show how weak and sick he really is, countering those who’ve said he’s exaggerated his ailments. He’s also currently facing a variety of court hearings regarding the allegations, with a trial set for January 6. The interview was also published days after Harvey Weinstein and those involved with his bankrupt studio’s board reached a tentative $25 million settlement with dozens of accusers.