Former film producer Harvey Weinstein, incarcerated for rape and sexual assault, described his life in prison as “hell” on Tuesday in an interview with Hollywood Reporter where he continues to proclaim his innocence.
The fallen former king of Hollywood describes a life confined to his cell in New York’s Rikers Island prison, where only the guards keep him company.
“It is too dangerous for me to be around other people. Other detainees have the right to go into the yard. But every time I’m there, I feel like I’m under siege,” he said.
He said he received “a violent punch in the face” from an inmate who he asked if he had finished his conversation on the phone.
Weakened by various health problems at 73, the founder of Miramax Studios now uses a wheelchair. He says he is terrified of dying in prison.
“It scares the hell out of me,” he confides. “It’s incredible to have had the life I had and to have done everything I did for society, and not to benefit from a certain leniency that would allow me to be treated more kindly. »
The former Oscar-winning producer, behind dozens of Hollywood hits like Shakespeare in Love et Pulp Fictionwas one of the most powerful men in world cinema for decades. He had the power to launch careers – and destroy them.
The community buzzed for years with echoes suggesting that he used his influence to sexually assault young women.
The investigations in October 2017 of New York Times a you New Yorker revealing the extent of this scandal caused a shock wave that propelled the #MeToo movement into a global phenomenon, freeing the voices of rape victims in all four corners of the world.
Harvey Weinstein has been accused of harassment, sexual assault or rape by more than 80 women, including actresses Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Ashley Judd.
His original 2020 conviction in New York, and resulting 23-year prison sentence, was overturned, but at a retrial in June he was found guilty of sexually assaulting former production assistant Miriam Haley.
In 2023, a California court separately sentenced him for rape to 16 years in prison.
Despite these verdicts, Mr. Weinstein continues to contest his guilt and speaks of consensual sex.
“I will be exonerated. I promise you,” he said, as he faces a retrial in April for the attack on aspiring actress Jessica Mann.
