'And now here we go again'
From the editors of People Words by Mike Miller
As over two dozen women have come forward to accuse Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment and assault, Julia Roberts, who starred in August: Osage County, a 2013 film produced by the Weinstein Company, released a statement to PEOPLE, adding her voice in support of those who’ve spoken out.
‘A corrupt, powerful man wields his influence to abuse and manipulate women. We’ve heard this infuriating, heartbreaking story countless times before. And now here we go again. I stand firm in the hope that we will finally come together as a society to stand up against this kind of predatory behaviour, to help victims find their voices and their healing, and to stop it once and for all.’
‘If you’ve been subjected to any kind of abuse or harassment, there are places to go for help.’
Roberts’ statement comes in the midst of an ongoing sexual harassment and abuse scandal with actresses including Cara Delevingne, Ashley Judd, Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow speaking out against Weinstein’s alleged behaviour.
In a bombshell New York Times report last week, eight women accused him of acting inappropriately. The paper also reported that Weinstein reached private settlements with eight women, including actress Rose McGowan.
Following the initial report, Weinstein said in a statement that he was working with therapists and planned to ‘deal with this issue head-on.’ He has since been fired from his powerhouse studio, The Weinstein Company, and his wife, Marchesa designer Georgina Chapman, has announced she’s leaving him.
On Tuesday, the The New Yorker revealed — among 13 different women’s accounts of alleged sexual harassment, assault or rape — that the mogul allegedly forcibly performed oral sex on Italian actress Asia Argento two decades ago. Actresses Mira Sorvino and Rosanna Arquette also claimed that after rejecting Weinstein’s unwanted advances, they were removed from or kept from being hired for projects.
In response to the lengthy allegations made against Weinstein in the New Yorker piece, a spokesperson for Weinstein said, ‘Any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr. Weinstein.’
Weinstein has checked into a luxury resort — after previous reports indicated he was going to a residential treatment facility — in Arizona after jetting out of Los Angeles on Wednesday, a source told PEOPLE.