Angelina Jolie vowed never to work with Weinstein again after bad behavior

Written by . Published: October 10 2017

Angelina Jolie has added her name to the growing list of actresses accusing Harvey Weinstein of inappropriate behavior, revealing she refused to work with him after an uncomfortable encounter.


The film producer was terminated from the board of The Weinstein Company on Sunday (08Oct17) following the publication of a New York Times expose, which detailed three decades of allegations made against the mogul by several women, who claim he made inappropriate advances towards them.

Ashley Judd spoke out about her awkward hotel suite experience with the disgraced Hollywood executive in the Times piece, and a string of other actresses have since come forward with their tales of abuse and harassment.

Now Angelina Jolie has revealed she allegedly had an uncomfortable encounter with Weinstein in 1998, when she was the star of his film Playing By the Heart.

"I had a bad experience with Harvey Weinstein in my youth, and as a result, chose never to work with him again and warn others when they did," she writes in an email to the New York Times. "This behavior towards women in any field, any country is unacceptable."

In an interview with the newspaper, Gwyneth Paltrow also accused Weinstein of inappropriately touching her at the Peninsula Beverly Hills hotel and suggesting they get massages together. The actress claims she thought the meeting was for the film Emma, which was released in 1996.

"I was a kid," she says. "I was signed up. I was petrified."

Paltrow also claims her boyfriend at the time, Brad Pitt, confronted Weinstein and he subsequently screamed at her for telling him about the exchange.

"I thought he was going to fire (me)," she adds. "He screamed at me for a long time. It was brutal."

Paltrow went on to work with Weinstein again after the alleged incident and she won a Best Actress Oscar for Shakespeare In Love, which he produced.

She explains she was full of conflicted feelings on set.

"He was alternately generous and supportive and championing, and punitive and bullying," she continues. "I was expected to keep the secret. We're at a point in time when women need to send a clear message that this is over. This way of treating women ends now."

Weinstein has apologized for his past bad behavior, but he has denied ever forcing himself on anyone, while dismissing claims of sexual abuse made by actresses Asia Argento and Lucia Evans.

Meanwhile, several celebrities have spoken out in support of the women who have levelled accusations at the producer - Charlize Theron has joined that list, taking to Instagram on Tuesday (10Oct17) and writing: "The women who have spoken about their abuse are brave and heroic and although I didn't have a personal experience like this with Harvey Weinstein, I unfortunately cannot say I'm surprised.

"This culture has always existed, not just in Hollywood but across the world. And many men in positions of power have gotten away with it for far too long. We cannot blame the victims here. A lot of these woman are young, just starting out in their respective fields, and have absolutely no way to stand up to a man with so much influence, much greater than theirs.

"If they speak up, they are shut down, and that could be the end of their career. This is all a positive step forward in changing that culture, and these young women need to know that they have a support system should anything like this happen to them. And I want you all to know I support you."