Kate Beckinsale Is The Latest To Accuse Harvey Weinstein Of Sexual Harassment

Louise Donovan
Updated
Photo credit: Getty
Photo credit: Getty

From ELLE UK

Kate Beckinsale is the latest actress to come forward with allegations about sexual advances from Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.

The British actress just issued a statement on Instagram in which says she was greeted by Weinstein in a bathrobe after she was 'called' to a meeting with him. She assumed it would be a business discussion in a conference room, but she was then sent up to a room in the Savoy hotel.

She was 17 at the time - under the legal age of consent in America - and declined alcohol from the producer because she had 'school in the morning'.

The actress said no to him 'professionally many times over the years' some of which ended up with him calling her a 'cunt and making threats' and some of which made him 'laughingly tell people oh "Kate lives to say no to me ".'

Saying no, she says, 'undoubtedly harmed' her career and was 'never something I felt supported by anyone other than my family.'

'I was incredibly naive and young and it did not cross my mind that this older, unattractive man would expect me to have any sexual interest in him,' she continues.

'I left, uneasy but unscathed. A few years later he asked me if he had tried anything with me in that first meeting. I realised he couldn't remember if he had assaulted me or not.'

I was called to meet Harvey Weinstein at the Savoy Hotel when I was 17. I assumed it would be in a conference room which was very common.When I arrived ,reception told me to go to his room . He opened the door in his bathrobe . I was incredibly naive and young and it did not cross my mind that this older ,unattractive man would expect me to have any sexual interest in him .After declining alcohol and announcing that I had school in the morning I left ,uneasy but unscathed.A few years later he asked me if he had tried anything with me in that first meeting .I realized he couldn't remember if he had assaulted me or not .I had what I thought were boundaries - I said no to him professionally many times over the years-some of which ended up with him screaming at me calling me a cunt and making threats, some of which made him laughingly tell people oh "Kate lives to say no to me ." It speaks to the status quo in this business that I was aware that standing up for myself and saying no to things,while it did allow me to feel uncompromised in myself,undoubtedly harmed my career and was never something I felt supported by anyone other than my family.I would like to applaud the women who have come forward , and to pledge that we can from this create a new paradigm where producers,managers,executives and assistants and everyone who has in the past shrugged and said " well, that's just Harvey /Mr X/insert name here " will realize that we in numbers can affect real change.For every moment like this there have been thousands where a vulnerable person has confided outrageous unprofessional behavior and found they have no recourse, due to an atmosphere of fear that it seems almost everyone has been living in .I had a male friend who, based on my experience,warned a young actress who said she was going to dinner with Harvey to be careful. He received a phone call the next day saying he would never work in another Miramax film ;the girl was already sleeping with Harvey and had told him that my friend had warned her off.Let's stop allowing our young women to be sexual cannon fodder,and let's remember that Harvey is an emblem of a system that is sick,and that we have work to do.

A post shared by Kate Beckinsale (@katebeckinsale) on Oct 12, 2017 at 6:02am PDT

Beckinsale is just one of many actresses who have come forward over the last week to accuse the movie mogul of sexual harassment or assault, including Cara Delevingne, Lea Seydoux, Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Weinstein has admitted his behaviour has 'caused a lot of pain' but describes many of the allegations against him as 'patently false'.

His spokesperson has said 'any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied' and there were 'never any acts of retaliation' against women who turned him down.

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