Harvey Weinstein may be the first, but he won’t be the last. Hollywood continues to reel as women continue to speak out publicly about the harassment and assault they’ve faced from male power players in the industry. The latest to come under fire is Amazon Studios‘ president Roy Price, who is facing allegations of sexual harassment from “The Man In the High Castle” producer, Isa Hackett. Here are the details of the incident as reported by The Hollywood Reporter:
On the evening of July 10, 2015, after a long day of promoting Man in the High Castle at Comic-Con in San Diego, Hackett attended a dinner with the show’s cast and Amazon staff at the U.S. Grant Hotel. There she says she met Price for the first time. He asked her to attend an Amazon staff party later that night at the W Hotel (now the Renaissance) and she ended up in a taxi with Price and Michael Paull, then another top Amazon executive and now CEO of the digital media company BAMTech.
Once in the cab, Hackett says Price repeatedly and insistently propositioned her. “You will love my dick,” he said, according to Hackett, who relayed her account to multiple individuals in the hours after the alleged episode. (The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed Hackett told at least two people about the alleged incident in the immediate aftermath.) Hackett says she made clear to Price she was not interested and told him that she is a lesbian with a wife and children.
Hackett says Price did not relent in the cab or once they arrived at the Amazon party. As she talked with other executives, she says that Price stepped close to her and loudly said, “Anal sex!” in her ear.
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Amazon reportedly investigated the incident internally, but Hackett was not made aware of any result. The producer did not see Price at any future events involving her shows.
Since this news broke, Variety reveals Amazon has suspended Price, with Amazon COO Albert Cheng stepping into his place for now. As the studio deals with that issue, THR reports they are also reviewing their developing Weinstein television projects: “Mad Men” creator Matthew Weiner‘s “The Romanoffs” and David O. Russell‘s untitled drama with Robert De Niro and Julianne Moore. The Weinstein Company hasn’t actually put any money into either series, despite commitments to co-finance them, so removing the company from the productions should be fairly straightforward.
Both are expensive shows, but the former seems to be in more salvageable shape, having already shot a few episodes, apparently, moving right along without any speed bumps. By contrast, Russell’s show has already managed to spend $40 million without shooting a single frame, and only having a few scripts turned in. I’m not sure how that happens, but it’s not a surprise some Amazon execs are already suggesting scrapping that money pit.
Studios across the country and indeed, around the world, are all reviewing their Weinstein co-productions, with many deciding to remove the company name from the credits. But that’s merely a cosmetic change to a problem that’s deeply rooted in day-to-day business in the industry.