Jennifer Lawrence has joined the small but growing number of high-profile celebrities speaking out against Harvey Weinstein. A bombshell New York Times report published Thursday revealed the Hollywood super-producer has reached at least eight settlements with women over sexual harassment allegations spanning decades.
“I was deeply disturbed to hear the news about Harvey Weinstein’s behavior,” the actress said in a statement provided to HuffPost. “I worked with Harvey five years ago and I did not experience any form of harassment personally, nor did I know about any of these allegations. This kind of abuse is inexcusable and absolutely upsetting.”
The Weinstein Company, which the embattled producer co-founded, was behind the 2012 “Silver Linings Playbook,” starring Lawrence and Bradley Cooper. For her role as Tiffany, a young widow struggling with her mental health, Lawrence took home the 2013 Oscar for Best Actress.
“My heart goes out to all of the women affected by these gross actions. And I want to thank them for their bravery to come forward,” her statement concluded.
While sexual harassment and abuse rumors have followed Weinstein for years, the New York Times report put intense pressure on The Weinstein Company to address them. Weinstein was fired Sunday from the company he started with his brother, after more than a decade of producing some of Hollywood’s biggest hits with the studio.
Other women have also come forward to share troubling experiences with Weinstein. A reporter, Lauren Sivan, told HuffPost the producer cornered her in 2007 to masturbate in her presence. A British actress recalled an incident where Weinstein called her to his hotel room for an audition while he was in a bathrobe; she was 18 at the time.
Over the weekend, one of the producer’s most prominent attorneys, Lisa Bloom, stepped down as his adviser after fielding criticism from those who saw her as a champion of feminist causes. Three of The Weinstein Company’s nine board members have resigned.
Still, much of Hollywood has remained silent over the accusations against the figure who loomed large over the industry for decades as a former head of Miramax. Meryl Streep called Weinstein’s alleged actions “an abuse of power,” while George Clooney termed it “indefensible.” Others including Glenn Close and “Guardians of the Galaxy” director James Gunn have also slammed the producer over the allegations.
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