Actors Union: Harvey Weinstein Allegations ‘Abhorrent and Unacceptable’
SAG-AFTRA maintains “everyone has the right to work in an environment free of discrimination and harassment”
Matt Donnelly | October 9, 2017 @ 4:37 PM
Last Updated: October 9, 2017 @ 5:02 PM
SAG-AFTRA, the Hollywood union that represents actors, has decried a long string of alleged sexual misconduct by movie mogul Harvey Weinstein.
“The behavior alleged on the part of Harvey Weinstein is abhorrent and unacceptable. Unfortunately, it is more prevalent than our industry acknowledges and many times victims are afraid to tell anyone,” the union said in a statement.
The union joins some of its individual members like Meryl Streep, Kate Winslet and Judi Dench in decrying the alleged misconduct — which was reported on at length in a bombshell New York Times story published last Thursday.
SAG-AFTRA joined a chorus of show business voices applauding the women who came forward, which included actress Ashley Judd, for their bravery.
“We support their right to speak out and we lift up their voices so that their truths can be fully heard. Everyone has the right to work in an environment free of discrimination and harassment,” the union said.
On Sunday, TWC’s board of directors voted to terminate Harvey Weinstein as the Co-CEO of the company he founded 12 yeas ago.
Underscoring their mission to protect actors, the guild ended its missive with resources for any performer who might be a victim of similar behavior detailed by Weinstein’s accusers. Read the full remarks:
“We commend the courage and candor of every woman who has spoken out about the disgraceful, aggressive and inappropriate behavior they experienced with prominent industry employers. We support their right to speak out and we lift up their voices so that their truths can be fully heard. Everyone has the right to work in an environment free of discrimination and harassment.
“The behavior alleged on the part of Harvey Weinstein is abhorrent and unacceptable. Unfortunately, it is more prevalent than our industry acknowledges and many times victims are afraid to tell anyone. Those who do come forward empower themselves and others to speak out.
“We also commend the New York Times for the extraordinary reporting that uncovered and brought to light the allegations in this case.
“We believe that each of us has a fundamental right to be safe in our person and to be treated with dignity and respect at work. There is more to be done by all of us to ensure the safety of women in the industry.
“We operate the SAG-AFTRA Safety Hotline specifically for members to report safety violations including harassment and inappropriate or aggressive behavior.
“If you are being coerced or threatened or simply feel that a situation is not right or is uncomfortable – speak out. We hear you. Call 844-Safer Set any time day or night and a dedicated SAG-AFTRA rep will be notified and will help address your concerns.
“We all have the absolute right to be safe at work.”
A Short History of Harvey Weinstein's Oscar Campaigns (Photos)
Indie mogul Harvey Weinstein, who was fired last October from his position of co-CEO of The Weinstein Company, revolutionized the Oscar race both at TWC and his previous company, Miramax.
Harvey Weinstein first got into the Oscar race in a big way in 1990 with a "guerilla" campaign for the art-house drama "My Left Foot" by setting up meet-and-greets between Academy members and film talent. The result? Oscar wins for stars Daniel Day Lewis and Brenda Fricker.
In 1995, Weinstein mounted a surprisingly aggressive campaign for upstart director Quentin Tarantino's ultraviolent "Pulp Fiction" -- helping to redefine what sorts of movies could appeal to the Academy. Tarantino shared a screenplay Oscar with Roger Avary.
Miramax snagged its first Best Picture victory for 1996's "The English Patient" -- which earned a total of nine awards, including for director Anthony Minghella and lead actress Juliette Binoche.
Weinstein built an awareness campaign for the then-unknown Billy Bob Thornton for 1996's "Sling Blade" -- which yielded an Oscar for his adapted screenplay and a nomination for Best Actor.
Miramax pulled off a double coup with 1997's "Good Will Hunting," delivering Robin Williams his long-awaited first Oscar and a rare screenplay prize for two twentysomething newbies, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon.
One year later, Miramax pulled out all the stops after landing two Best Picture nominations, including for the Italian-language drama "Life Is Beautiful." According to Peter Biskind's book "Down and Dirty Pictures," star-auteur Roberto Begnini "moved into L.A. for a month during the peak of the voting period." The film came away with three Oscars, including Best Actor.
That year, Miramax pulled off a bigger upset when "Shakespeare in Love" seized Best Picture over Steven Spielberg's heavily favored "Saving Private Ryan." "Shakespeare" won a total of seven Academy Awards, including for actresses Gwyneth Paltrow and Judi Dench.
Miramax surprised many by landing yet another Best Picture nomination for the 2000 Juliette Binoche-Johnny Depp bonbon "Chocolat."
In 2003, the Weinsteins had a hand in four of the five Best Picture nominees: "Chicago," "The Hours," "Gangs of New York" and "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" (on which they had producer credits). "Chicago" won the top prize -- as well as five others.
In 2004, Miramax took advantage of a careful reading of Academy rules and scored four nominations for the Brazilian inner-city drama "City of God" -- even though the film had failed to land a Best Foreign Language film nomination the previous year.
The Weinsteins exited Disney-owned Miramax and founded their own company in 2005 -- and got right back in the Oscar race with two nominations for one of their first releases, the Felicity Huffman vehicle "Transamerica."
By 2009, The Weinstein Company landed its first Best Picture contender with "The Reader" -- and also snagged Kate Winslet her first Oscar as Best Actress in a role that many thought was more of a supporting part.
Two years later, TWC scored its first Best Picture win for "The King's Speech" -- as well as three other awards, including Best Actor for Colin Firth.
The following year, Weinstein pulled off another coup: landing five Oscars, including Best Picture for the mostly silent, black-and-white ode to Old Hollywood, "The Artist."
In 2013, TWC again had two horses in the Best Picture race: Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained" and "Silver Linings Playbook" -- which landed Jennifer Lawrence the prize for Best Actress.
Last year, Weinstein successfully landed six nominations -- including Best Picture -- for Garth Davis' tear-jerker "Lion." But just as Open Road won the top prize in 2016 for "Spotlight," another upstart, A24, used a lot of Harvey touches to score the indie "Moonlight" a Best Picture win.
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This is the first Oscar season in decades without the disgraced mogul who challenged the major studios and changed the game at the Academy
Indie mogul Harvey Weinstein, who was fired last October from his position of co-CEO of The Weinstein Company, revolutionized the Oscar race both at TWC and his previous company, Miramax.
