Rosanna Arquette hits back at Harvey Weinstein over controversial interview
Rosanna Arquette has blasted Harvey Weinstein after the disgraced producer suggested her sexual misconduct allegations against him were "exaggerated" in a recent interview.
Rosanna Arquette has blasted Harvey Weinstein after the disgraced producer suggested her sexual misconduct allegations against him were "exaggerated".
The Pulp Fiction actress was one of a number of actresses to speak out about Weinstein - who she alleged had tried to make her touch his penis when she visited his hotel room to discuss a script in the 1990s - for Ronan Farrow's 2017 New Yorker expose, which ultimately led to his arrest and 16-year jail sentence and she was recently singled out by the producer as having helped to "destroy" him by not being honest about her experiences.
Weinstein had fumed to The Hollywood Reporter: "If the camera's on, I'm just going to say Rosanna Arquette, Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie — they just exaggerated. They wanted to be part of the club. And they destroyed me...
"I misled them. I cheated on both my wives. That's immoral. But I did not assault them. That is the big lie of all of this. I won't apologise for something I didn't do. I will be proven innocent. That I promise you."
Rosanna has now furiously hit back in a lengthy statement to The Wrap, in which she insisted she has "never exaggerated" what happened to her and stressed her belief that turning down Weinstein's advances damaged her career.
She wrote: "I have never exaggerated my assault. Ever. My account of what happened has never changed. A simple Google search makes this clear. If, by saying 'exaggerated', he means the retribution I endured, Ronan Farrow’s investigation into those claims (made by others as well) substantiated the 'blackballing' with respect to me. Ronan’s work speaks for itself.
"There was/is no 'club' to belong to as a Harvey Weinstein assault survivor. Being a survivor of assault or rape is not a club. I can’t believe that has to be said."
The statement began with a blunt insistence that the incidents Weinstein had been accused of "happened".
She wrote: "When it comes to the events that led to Harvey Weinstein’s convictions, plural, by juries of his peers, here are the facts:
"The assaults happened. The rapes happened.
"Prior to his convictions, the rapes and assaults were substantiated by investigative journalists at different legacy news outlets, passing the meticulous scrutiny of teams of lawyers and editors through a rigorous pre-publication process.
"Criminal investigations were conducted by law enforcement agencies in Manhattan and Los Angeles. The facts and evidence of these crimes were brought to courtrooms, where Harvey Weinstein was given the full benefits of due process and was represented by the best attorneys his ample wealth could provide. He was tried and convicted for these crimes. While his New York conviction was overturned due to procedural reasons, the jury did find him guilty; a re-trial found him guilty of one count of sexual assault. His California conviction stands, and he remains in prison.
"There are allegations of rape and assault from survivors who were minors at the time.
"These are the facts. It’s important to remember them and put them first, especially when a highly skilled storyteller, like Weinstein, is seeking to upend them (with a publicist by his side in prison, no less!)."
Despite her experiences, Rosanna has "compassion" for Weinstein's family and hopes he succeeds in his bid to be transferred out of "horrific" Rikers Island prison.
She wrote: "Rikers Island prison complex is a horrific place. Its existence is a condemnation of our justice system, and I firmly believe it should be shut down. I wish Harvey Weinstein success in getting transferred to a more humane prison. His human rights, and the rights of every prisoner, are as important as every other human being’s and deserve to be upheld.
"I feel compassion for his children and ex-wives for the pain this is causing them."
And the 66-year-old actress has long forgiven Weinstein so she could move past what happened.
She wrote: "I believe in forgiveness, and I forgave Harvey Weinstein long ago. Not because he asked for it (a necessary first step in redemption, which he has failed to take), but because I didn’t want to carry the resentment.
"I didn’t, and still don’t, want my life defined by assault or retribution. I wish I didn’t have to write this, but the interview happened.
"And I felt that both the false accusations made against me, and the fog he attempts to weave by denying facts, called for a response."
