Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, George Clooney Speak Out Against Harvey Weinstein

Judi Dench, Glenn Close, Kate Winslet, Jessica Chastain, Julianne Moore and many others have also denounced the movie mogul

BY Sarah MurphyPublished Oct 10, 2017

Last week, the New York Times revealed a bombshell report accusing film mogul Harvey Weinstein of decades of sexual harassment in Hollywood. Despite the producer's desperate attempt to rally support, the Weinstein Company announced over the weekend that its business's namesake had been fired.
 
Now, after years of whispers and intentional silence, some of Hollywood's biggest stars are publicly denouncing Weinstein's behaviour.
 
Meryl Streep, who collaborated with Weinstein on recent projects like August: Osage County and The Iron Lady, told the Huffington Post that she had been unaware of his behaviour until the New York Times report surfaced, denouncing his actions as "inexcusable." She said: "The disgraceful news about Harvey Weinstein has appalled those of us whose work he championed, and those whose good and worthy causes he supported. The intrepid women who raised their voices to expose this abuse are our heroes."
 
Kate Winslet, who earned an Oscar for her role in the Weinstein-produced 2009 film The Reader has also spoken out against the allegations. "The fact that these women are starting to speak out about the gross misconduct of one of our most important and well-regarded film producers, is incredibly brave and has been deeply shocking to hear," she told Variety. "The way Harvey Weinstein has treated these vulnerable, talented young women is NOT the way women should ever EVER deem to be acceptable or commonplace in ANY workplace."
 
Jennifer Lawrence has also joined the growing voice of dissent, calling Weinstein's actions "inexcusable" and "absolutely upsetting." She previously worked with him on Silver Linings Playbook in 2013, which earned her a Best Actress Oscar. "My heart goes out to all of the women affected by these gross actions," she told Variety. "And I want to thank them for their bravery to come forward."
 
Dame Judi Dench, meanwhile, offered her sympathy to the women who suffered Weinstein's abuse, telling Newsweek: "Whilst there is no doubt that Harvey Weinstein has helped and championed my film career for the past 20 years, I was completely unaware of these offenses which are, of course, horrifying, and I offer my sympathy to those who have suffered, and wholehearted support to those who have spoken out." The actress previously made her appreciation for Weinstein permanent with an infamous tattoo of his name on her rear end.
 
Glenn Close also addressed the scandal, sharing a statement with the New York Times in which she admitted she was "angry and darkly sad." While she maintained that Weinstein had always been "decent" to her, Close condemned the "the conspiracy of silence around his actions."
 
Hollywood mainstay George Clooney has also spoken out against Weinstein in an interview with The Daily Beast. He admitted to having heard rumours about Weinstein's behaviour over the years and knew he "had a tendency to hit on young, beautiful women," but claims he did not know the extent to which it went. "The part we're hearing now about eight women being paid off, I didn't hear anything about that and I don't know anyone that did," he said. "That's a whole other level and there's no way you can reconcile that. There's nothing to say except that it's indefensible."
 
Other Hollywood elite have also voiced their reactions on social media. See a selection of those comments below.
 
 

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