After several women came forward and confessed their harrowing experiences under the cruel hands of Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, Tomb Raider star Angelina Jolie revealed she refused to appear in one big movie project due to his involvement.
The actress’ first encounter with Weinstein was when she was only 21 years old, revealing the producer disrespected her. Jolie seemed not surprised when the controversy broke out as she has also experienced it firsthand.
Angelina Jolie Won’t Star In Any Harvey Weinstein-Produced Movie Projects
In her interview with The Guardian, the Eternals actress got candid and shared her traumatic history with Harvey Weinstein:
“I worked with him when I was young. If you get yourself out of the room, you think he attempted but didn’t, right? The truth is that the attempt and the experience of the attempt is an assault.”
Jolie starred in the 1998 Miramax romantic comedy Playing by Heart where the industry mogul served as executive producer. She was able to escape the assault, but the actress noted that women often downplay the attempt as soon as they get away.
“I really don’t want to derail the book into stories about Harvey. It was. It was beyond a pass, it was something I had to escape. I stayed away and warned people about him. I remember telling Jonny [Lee Miller], my first husband, who was great about it, to spread the word to other guys — don’t let girls go alone with him.”
The Salt actress admitted turning down a movie role because of Weinstein’s involvement in the project. She was offered to star in Martin Scorsese’s The Aviator (2004):
“I was asked to do ‘The Aviator,’ but I said no because he was involved. I never associated or worked with him again. It was hard for me when Brad did.”
Jolie swore never to work on any future projects involving the disgraced producer, although that did not stop her ex-husband, Brad Pitt, from accepting roles in movies where Weinstein takes a part in the production.
Angelina Jolie And Brad Pitt’s Divorce Involves The Actor’s Connection With Harvey Weinstein
Despite Angelina Jolie warning her husband, Brad Pitt seemed unbothered and still worked in the 2009 Quentin Tarantino film, Inglourious Basterds, produced by Harvey Weinstein. In 2012, the actor presented himself to serve as producer for Andrew Dominik’s Killing Them Softly, a movie distributed by the Weinstein Company. This left the actress with the impression that her husband disregarded the pain she felt from the sexual assault. She confessed:
“We fought about it. Of course, it hurt.”
Pitt even admitted being happy working with the now-convicted r*pist despite being aware of the crime. Jolie, in her frustration, avoided attending all promotional events for both movies. Meanwhile, Weinstein denied the actress’ allegations.
The notorious producer was sentenced to 23 years of jail time after being found guilty of two felony charges of sexual abuse, backed by more than eighty women confessing their distressful experiences against him from decades ago. This event gave birth to the #MeToo movement.
The Aviator, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, and Kate Beckinsale, is available to stream via Prime Video, AppleTV, and Paramount Plus.
Source: The Guardian
