Harvey Weinstein is the face of one of the most celebrated social campaigns of this modern era — the #MeToo movement. And unfortunately for the former Hollywood mogul, he’s not held up as a hero of the cause, but instead, he’s public enemy #1. In a new interview with Page Six, the former head of Miramax and The Weinstein Company speaks up about the issues that have been plaguing him over the last two years and tries to explain why it’s all bogus.
The producer would like to remind folks that instead of being the sexual predator that dozens of women paint him to be, Weinstein has always been one of the biggest supporters of women in the industry. In fact, he says he’s a pioneer.
“I feel like the forgotten man,’’ Weinstein said. “I made more movies directed by women and about women than any filmmaker, and I’m talking about 30 years ago. I’m not talking about now when it’s vogue. I did it first! I pioneered it!”
He added, “It all got eviscerated because of what happened. My work has been forgotten.’’
Yeah, you read that right. Read it again, if you can’t believe the words he said. Wow.
There’s no denying that, as part of Miramax and The Weinstein Company, the producer was instrumental in releasing some of the best films of his era. But in light of his alleged behavior behind the scenes, including harassment, assault, and not-so-veiled threats, it’s completely batshit crazy that he would choose to say those things now. Obviously, he’s in the middle of multiple legal battles and he probably will never admit culpability, but now’s probably not the best time to parade yourself as a champion of female filmmakers, right?
The rest of the interview is well worth a read, as he continues to not only paint himself as a person who promotes women and their films, but also as somewhat of an issues-focused producer that used his status to promote LGBTQ causes. Why is he doing this?
“I want this city to recognize who I was instead of what I’ve become,” he said.
We still have plenty of court battles and, surely, more behind-the-scenes drama to hear about. So, it would appear that no matter what Weinstein hopes to remind people, the complete story is yet to come.
