Renée Zellweger Denies She Gave Harvey Weinstein 'Sexual Favors': He's 'Full of S—' Says Rep
Renée Zellweger’s rep says the actress never gave Harvey Weinstein any “sexual favors.”
“If Harvey said that, he’s full of s—,” a rep for the actress said in a statement to PEOPLE.
The producer allegedly told aspiring actresses that he received “sexual favors” from Zellweger, along with other stars like Gwyneth Paltrow and Charlize Theron, as examples of how a sexual relationship with him could help their careers, according to a lawsuit filed yesterday.
Weinstein allegedly told one actress “that Rene?e Zellweger, Charlize Theron and other actresses gave sexual favors.” He then allegedly asked, “Don’t you want your career to be more than just this little teen film?”
Zellweger has starred in several Weinstein productions including her Oscar winning performance in Cold Mountain.
Regarding the accusations that Weinstein stated that he slept with Paltrow, Theron and Zellweger, a Weinstein spokesperson told PEOPLE: “Mr. Weinstein vehemently denies these accusations and has never stated he slept with any of them. It’s ridiculous that anyone would believe these talented women, academy award winners, provided sexual favors in exchange for roles they earned based on their talent and brilliant work. It’s simply not true. ”
The new lawsuit was filed by six women who claim the disgraced mogul’s efforts to cover up his alleged crimes amount to civil racketeering. Filed in New York and obtained by PEOPLE, the lawsuit claims that Weinstein’s former companies Miramax, The Weinstein Company and members of its board conspired with the producer to “perpetuate and conceal [his] widespread sexual harassment and assault.”
The women, who have all told their stories publicly in the past, include Louisette Geiss, Katherine Kendall, Zoe Brock, Sarah Ann Thomas, Melissa Sagemiller and Nanette Klatt.
The lawsuit came just a day after The New York Times published an in-depth exposé about what the newspaper labeled Weinstein’s “complicity machine.”
On Tuesday, Weinstein’s attorneys Blair Berk and Ben Brafman disputed claims of inappropriate advances in the report, saying Weinstein’s recollections differed from those of his accusers.
The Oscar-winning producer has been accused of sexual misconduct by over 50 women since The New York Times and The New Yorker documented decades of alleged sexual misconduct and sexual assault involving a number of women in detailed articles in October.
In a statement to PEOPLE, Weinstein’s attorneys, Berk and Brafman, said: “Mr. Weinstein has never at any time committed an act of sexual assault, and it is wrong and irresponsible to conflate claims of impolitic behavior or consensual sexual contact later regretted, with an untrue claim of criminal conduct. There is a wide canyon between mere allegation and truth, and we are confident that any sober calculation of the facts will prove no legal wrongdoing occurred.
“Nonetheless, to those offended by Mr. Weinstein’s behavior, he remains deeply apologetic.”
