‘People think I gaily took my child to a rapist’s house’: Kate Beckinsale hits back after receiving backlash for sharing her Harvey Weinstein story as she claims he got off on ‘shock’
- The British actress penned an emotional Instagram message on Wednesday hours after Weinstein, 67, was sentenced to 23 years in prison
- Kate recalled how Weinstein had forced the cast of her hit 2001 movie Serendipity to go ahead with the New York premiere of the film weeks after 9/11
- During a playdate with her daughter Lily, Kate recalled that Weinstein launched into a furious rant
- Weinstein accused Kate of ‘ruining’ his premiere with her choice of outfit, saying ‘if I want p***y on the red carpet that’s what I get’
- The disgraced movie mogul was sentenced following his convictions for forcibly performing oral sex on production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006 and third degree rape for the attack on Jessica Mann in 2013
Kate Beckinsale was forced to defend herself after SHE received an unwarranted backlash for sharing her story about Harvey Weinstein.
The actress revealed how he launched into a tirade at her for wearing a suit to his premiere after inviting her to bring her child over for a playdate with his child.
He then screamed at her that she was a ‘stupid f**king C**T’ for not wearing a tight dress on the red carpet.
‘People think I gaily took my child to a rapist’s house’: Kate Beckinsale has hit back after receiving backlash for sharing her Harvey Weinstein story (pictured in 2004)
At the time, Harvey was not a known rapist and Kate said she went to his house because he was her boss and admitted he could be ‘funny, creative and generous.’
But she hit back when people asked her why she went at all, why she didn’t fight back, why she didn’t tell people what happened and why she took her child.
One person wrote: ‘Honestly I don’t know why anyone would allow themselves to be put in one of those situations. Just leave.’
Kate replied: ‘I did. It still happened.’
Reveal: On Wednesday, Kate had recalled a shocking encounter with Weinstein, hours after the disgraced mogul was sentenced to 23 years in prison (pictured at Miramax party in 2004)
Strong woman: Kate was forced to hit back at people who gave her an unwarranted backlash for telling her story and she acknowledged that we ‘still have a long way to come’
Another wrote: ‘Why did you show up is my question?’
Kate wrote: ‘He was my boss. He had not so far been abusive, nor had I seen any evidence on the one movie I had worked on with him. He couched it as a playdate for our kids.
‘I had no idea it wasn’t that or that I had done anything that could be perceived as wrong.’
Another follower wrote: ‘You did nothing wrong. Harvey Weinstein was the malefactor here. People trying to blame you have no idea what they are talking abot at best.
Worked together: Kate recalled how Weinstein had forced the cast of her hit 2001 movie Serendipity to go ahead with the New York premiere of the film mere weeks after 9/11 (pictured at the premiere) and had criticised her for dressing ‘like a lesbian’
Support where needed: It’s important to note that Kate did of course receive lots of positive messages from people as well
She replied: ‘Oh I know. I think she thinks I gaily took my child to a known rapists house. I had no idea what was coming partly because the element of shock and surprise is one of the things he got off on.’
Another person wrote: ‘Why did America and all the actors and actresses who worked with him glorify him then’
She replied: ‘He was also very talented, could be funny, generous, creative. And then absolutely monstrous. If all abusers were just awful all the time I think it would be far less confusing and less painful.
‘Ted Bundy took a minute to catch because he was also other things, you know.’
Emotional message: Kate’s original post that seems to have caused so much division on social media, despite her bravely telling her truth
It’s important to state that Kate did also receive a lot of positive messages as well following her brave decision to share her story.
The posts came after she recalled a shocking encounter with Weinstein after the disgraced movie mogul was sentenced to 23 years in prison.
The British actress penned an emotional Instagram message on Wednesday hours after Weinstein, 67, was sentenced in Manhattan criminal court following his convictions last month for forcibly performing oral sex on production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006 and third degree rape for the attack on Jessica Mann in 2013.
Kate recalled how Weinstein had forced the cast of her hit 2001 movie Serendipity to go ahead with the New York premiere of the film mere weeks after 9/11, before accusing her of ‘ruining’ the premiere in a shocking rant.
Kate shared two photos from the October 2001 premiere, showing herself and Weinstein on the red carpet.
She told her followers in the lengthy caption: ‘These photos were taken at the premiere of Serendipity on October 5, 2001.
‘We all refused to go because holding a premiere mere weeks after 9/11 with the city still smoking felt like the most insensitive, tone deaf, disrespectful idea possible.’
The actress revealed that ‘Harvey insisted. We flew into New York and somehow got through it.’
The ordeal wasn’t over as Kate revealed that the next morning Weinstein invited her and her then two-year-old daughter Lily, who she shares with ex Michael Sheen, over for a playdate ‘with his similar aged daughter’.
‘I said ok,’ Kate wrote. ‘I turned up and he immediately called for his nanny to take the babies to another room to play. I went to go with them and he said “No, you wait here .”’
Kate then went on to describe Weinstein’s terrifying rant, as he accused her of ruining the Serendipity premiere with her choice of outfit, a white suit and tie.
‘The minute the door closed he started screaming “you stupid f**king C**T, you C**T you ruined my premiere.” I had no idea what he was talking about and started to shake.’
‘He said, “If I am throwing a red carpet you get in a tight dress, you shake your a** you shake your t**s you do not go down it looking like a f**king lesbian you stupid f**king c**t .”‘
Remembering: Kate shared two photos from the October 2001 premiere, showing herself and Weinstein on the red carpet
Kate continued: ‘The shock made me burst into tears. I tried to say “Harvey, the city is on fire, people are still looking for their relatives none of us even felt the premiere was appropriate much less coming out dressed like it’s a bachelor party.”‘
‘He said, ”I don’t care -it’s my f**king premiere and if I want p***y on the red carpet that’s what I get”. Screaming. Livid.’
Kate recalled that ‘I managed to get myself and my child out of there and yes that was one of many experiences I had that there was no recourse for.’
She pointed out that while the incident ‘falls under no felony I WAS punished for it, and for other instances where I said no to him for years, insidiously and seeming irreversibly.’
Run in: The ordeal wasn’t over as Kate revealed that the next morning Weinstein invited her and her then two-year-old daughter Lily over for a playdate (Kate and Lily pictured in an Instagram photo)
Relief: Kate ended her statement by expressing her relief when she heard Weinstein’s sentencing on Wednesday to 23 years in prison in a landmark #MeToo case (pictured in 2016)
Kate ended her statement by expressing her relief when she heard Weinstein’s sentencing on Wednesday but cautioned that there are many other crimes that the convicted rapist will not be held accountable for in a court of law.
‘Hearing that he has gone to prison for 23 years is a huge relief to me on behalf of all the women he sexually assaulted or raped, and I hope will be a deterrent to that sort of behavior in this and any other industry.’
‘Having said that, the crimes that are not crimes, the inhumane bullying and sick covert abuse for which there is STILL no recourse no matter who you tell (and I did tell), these too need to go.’
‘I hope and pray that we as an industry can start to actually outlaw all abuses of power and expose them and eliminate them, for all genders, forever. And Rose, brava.’
Not happy: Kate then went on to describe Weinstein’s terrifying rant, as he accused her of ruining the Serendipity premiere with her choice of outfit, a white suit and tie
On Wednesday Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison for sex crimes in a landmark #MeToo case that ended with six of his accusers sobbing and hugging each other from the front row of the courtroom.
Once one of Hollywood’s most influential producers, Weinstein had faced the possibility of a maximum sentence of 29 years in prison.
The ex movie mogul, who is in poor health and will not be eligible for parole for 20 years, was sentenced to 20 years on the criminal sex act charge for forcibly performing oral sex on production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006.
He was sentenced to three years for third degree rape for the attack on Jessica Mann in 2013. His defense team slammed the punishment as ‘obscene’ and already vowed to appeal.
Kate previously spoke about her first encounter with Weinstein in an October 2017 Instagram post, revealing he came onto her when she was just a 17-year-old ingénue with school the next day.
Like many of his alleged victims, Beckinsale says Weinstein tried to assault her during a hotel room meeting early on in her career.
‘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,’ she wrote.
‘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.’
Like many of his alleged victims, Beckinsale says Weinstein tried to assault her during a hotel room meeting early on in her career
A few years later, the British actress says Weinstein recalled their first meeting and asked if he had ‘tried anything’.
‘I realized he couldn’t remember if he had assaulted me or not,’ Beckinsale said.
Beckinsale, whose parents were both actors as well, says turning Weinstein down negatively impacted her career.
‘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 c*** 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,’ she said.
Beckinsale also told the story of how Weinstein allegedly threatened a male friend of hers, after he warned another young actress about the producer’s predatory behavior.
‘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 of,’ Beckinsale says.
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