Kate Beckinsale says Harvey Weinstein sexually harassed her when she was 17
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She is the latest in a chorus of voices speaking out against the movie mogul for alleged sexual harassment and assault.
Beckinsale recalled being asked to meet Weinstein at the Savoy Hotel, under the assumption she would be meeting him in a conference room. She was instead directed to his hotel room, she wrote.
The actress said Weinstein "opened the door in his bathrobe."
"I was incredibly naive and young and it did not cross my mind that this older, unattractive man would expect me to have any sexual interest in him," Beckinsale wrote.
Beckinsale said Weinstein offered her alcohol, but she declined saying that she "had school in the morning." She was able to leave "unscathed."
Beckinsale wrote that a number of years later, Weinstein asked her if he had "tried anything" with her during their first meeting. "I realized he couldn't remember if he had assaulted me or not," Beckinsale said.
According to the actress, Weinstein continually tried to get her to work with him over the years, but she never agreed to - a decision Beckinsale feels ultimately harmed her career.
Beckinsale also shared an experience that a "male friend" had with Weinstein. According to the actress, her friend tried to warn a young actress going to dinner with the producer "to be careful," and that soon after Weinstein called to tell him he would never work in another Miramax film.
Beckinsale then said that many people who have had experiences with "outrageous unprofessional behavior" have felt they had "no recourse, due to an atmosphere of fear that it seems almost everyone has been living in."
"Let's stop allowing our young women to be sexual cannon fodder, and let's remember that Harvey is an emblem of a system that is sick, and that we have work to do," Beckinsale said.
You can read Beckinsale's full statement on her Instagram post:
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