Oliver Stone on Harvey Weinstein: ‘A Man Shouldn’t Be Condemned by a Vigilante System’
Oliver Stone responded to a question about the Harvey Weinstein scandal at the Busan International Film Festival on Thursday, saying “it’s not easy” for the former Hollywood mogul.
“I’m a believer that you wait until this thing gets to trial,” the controversial U.S. film director said. “I believe a man shouldn’t be condemned by a vigilante system. It’s not easy what he’s going through either. He was a rival and I never did business with him. I’ve heard horror stories on everyone in the business. So, I’m not going to comment on that. I’ll wait and see, which is the right thing to do.”
He also weighed in on ongoing tensions between North Korea and the U.S., declaring, “The U.S. government must accept that North Korea has nuclear weapons.”
Admitting that he rarely agrees with the U.S. government, Stone called for the Trump government to accept the status quo as it now is, and negotiate with the Kim Jong-un regime, rather than bluster against it. “We must get China and Russia around the table. Or else this thing will not end well,” Stone said.
The U.S. government position has recently appeared to be divided over North Korea. President Donald Trump has threatened military action as North Korea has conducted nuclear and missile tests. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has advocated diplomacy.
Stone is president of the festival’s New Currents competition jury, but chose to make the Korean political situation a personal one. “My wife is Korean, Her family went through the Korean War.”
“The only alternative to repression is expression,” said Stone, after explaining that South Korean governments have a track record of being tough and uncompromising.
The Busan festival was born in 1995 in reaction to years of heavy censorship and curbs on freedom of expression. Following that period, South Korean cinema has flourished, coming to dominate its booming box office and winning numerous major prizes on the international festival scene.
“Korean cinema is the best in the world. It is much more interesting than American cinema,” said Stone. “Korean cinema has stood out for me for its choreography, its action, gangster style. Its actors are always naturalistic, however ridiculous they are asked to be.”
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