Actress Kate Beckinsale is opening up about her experience with Harvey Weinstein, who she claimed sexually harassed her at the age of 17.
Beckinsale recalled her meeting with Weinstein at the Savoy Hotel when she was a teenager, writing on Instagram, "I assumed it would be in a conference room which was very common. When I arrived, reception told me to go to his room . 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,” Beckinsale continued. "After declining alcohol and announcing that I had school in the morning I left ,uneasy but unscathed.”
Beckinsale also claimed that her decision to reject job offers from him over the years led to angry outbursts from the Hollywood producer. "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**t and making threats, some of which made him laughingly tell people oh ‘Kate lives to say no to me.’”
According to Kate, her decision to stand up to Harvey, personally and professionally, "undoubtedly harmed my career and was never something I felt supported by anyone other than my family.”
The 44-year-old ended her lengthy post with a clear message, emphasizing, "Let’s stop allowing our young women to be sexual cannon fodder,and let’s remember that Harvey is an emblem of a system that is sick,and that we have work to do.”
Just a day before Kate came out with her story, Weinstein was spotted at his daughter Remy’s house in Los Angeles. He told TMZ's cameras that he was not in a good place and was begging for another chance, adding, "I gotta get help, guys.” He was ousted from his own company over the weekend.
Weinstein has been accused of sexual harassment by multiple women, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Ashley Judd and Angelina Jolie. At least one woman has accused him of rape.
Weinstein spokeswoman Sallie Hofmeister told the Times in a statement, “Any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr. Weinstein. Mr. Weinstein has further confirmed that there were never any acts of retaliation against any women for refusing his advances. He will not be available for further comments, as he is taking the time to focus on his family, on getting counseling and rebuilding his life.”
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