“Have I ever sexually assaulted a woman? No. I have never done it.” After six years Harvey Weinstein he speaks again and denies any accusation. Detained in a cell on Rikers Island in the Bronx – a infamous penitentiary several times close to closure – the former indie king of Hollywood released some of his reflections to Hollywood Reporter. Meanwhile, he said that while awaiting a new trial against him, which will open on April 14, he is being held in a place that he defines as “hell“When I was in New York State Prison until 2024, I got up in the morning, had breakfast, saw friends, talked to people. We watched TV together,” he explained the ogre of #MeToo.
While for 19 months, as a prisoner awaiting trial, he has barely spent half an hour outdoors and has had no contact with anyone except the prison officers. His fear is that of being attacked or killed by other inmates: “EBeing a celebrity here is a problem. I’m under siege here. They are constantly threatened and mocked. I won’t last long in here.” Weinstein must serve 16 years in prison for a conviction in the state of California, while the conviction in the state of New York was suspended due to procedural defects. “With all the life I’ve had and the things I’ve done for society, there is no leniency or kindness towards me”underlined the 74-year-old former Miramax owner who now suffers from diabetes, heart problems and a diagnosis of spinal cord cancer.
The man obviously returned to talk about the avalanche of accusations of harassment and violence that nailed him, claiming that his accusers only took action because “there was money at stake (…) pTo get a check all you had to do was fill out a form saying I had assaulted themBasically Weinstein admits that he did “advance” to some of these women but without success and “of having perhaps exaggerated and having been too insistent”. The former producer, also an Oscar winner in the golden years of his films, also made a familiar mea culpa: “I was married to an amazing woman who had no idea what I was doing. I lied all the time. I used my staff improperly to hide these things.” Finally the total denial: “But have I ever sexually assaulted a woman? No. I’ve never done it.”
