In author Ken Auletta’s upcoming new book “Hollywood Ending: Harvey Weinstein and the Culture of Silence,” former associates, employees, family members and accusers of the ex-producer hold nothing back when describing their interactions with the imprisoned ex-producer.
The admissions range from Weinstein’s own self-image to how physically off-putting he was in the eyes of his victims. Others even detailed a perceived lack of personal hygiene.
“He really thought he was God’s gift, a Don Juan,” Auletta recently told Fox News. In his book, the author and New Yorker media critic recounts how Weinstein accuser Jessica Mann told a Manhattan courthouse in 2020 that he smelled of “poop” during their 2013 encounter in which she testified that he raped her.
“The first time I saw him fully naked, I felt, I thought he was deformed and intersex,” Mann said during the trial. “He has an extreme scarring that I didn’t know if maybe he was a burn victim but it didn’t make sense. He does not have testicles and it appears like he has a vagina.”
Despite testimony criticizing his physical appearance, “Harvey had some notion in his head that his body was attractive,” Auletta said.
Weinstein, 70, is currently serving 23 years in prison following a rape and sexual assault conviction that first began with a flood of media reports in 2017 about his toxic and illegal behavior that ran unchecked for years. The “Pulp Fiction” and “Shakespeare in Love” producer became the early face of the #MeToo movement as a result.
Auletta’s book looks to explore his rise to power and how he managed to get away with his crimes for decades. Specifically, he notes the fear of reprisal many victims shared about speaking out against him publicly.
“They were afraid of challenging him and being called liars,” Auletta said. “They knew he would attack or castigate them. He had enormous power among the press…. He was also willing to pay these women a sum of money to keep quiet. And as long as they signed a non-disclosure agreement, they couldn’t tell anyone.”
