Heather Graham is speaking out after several women accused Harvey Weinstein of s*xu@l misconduct. Her claims the producer allegedly suggested she have s-x with him in order to get a role in one of his movies.
Graham told the tale to Variety, stating that Weinstein had brought her into his office in the early 2000s and promised to put her in one of his films. Graham claims that by telling her he had a deal with his wife and could “sleep with whomever he wanted when he was out of town,” he subtly proposed to her.
According to Graham, “I left the meeting feeling unsettled.” Although it wasn’t stated explicitly, the implication was there: “I had to sleep with him to star in one of those films.”
The actress claims that Weinstein afterwards extended an invitation to Graham for a private meeting at his hotel, but she declined to meet with him alone. She claims she never discussed the incident in public, but she decided to do so when Ashley Judd openly accused Harvey Weinstein of s-xu@l harassment last week in The New York Times.
Graham stated, “I didn’t feel ashamed until Ashley Judd bravely shared her experience a few days ago. “Would I have prevented countless women from going through the same or worse experience as I did if I had spoken up ten years ago?”
What constitutes s-xu@l harassment in the workplace, she added, “and this is not an excuse.” Even though I understood he was hinting a swap of s-x for employment, he didn’t say it outright. I also hadn’t visited his motel. I am aware that many women have this internal discussion; that is one of the things preventing so many of us from telling our tales.
We don’t want to come under fire for making assumptions about something that may or may not have existed. We don’t want to be perceived as weak for being unable to manage ourselves in a male-dominated industry. We don’t want the label of “Difficult Woman” to cost us jobs. We don’t want to be the only or the first voice heard.
Both The New York Times and The New Yorker published shocking exposés last week alleging decades of Weinstein’s s-xual harassment.
Asia Argento, an actress and director, is one of three women who have accused Weinstein of s-xu@l assault; Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie have also come forward to claim that they were s-xually harassed.
Weinstein’s employment with The Weinstein Company has been terminated. Weinstein’s representative issued the following statement in response to the New Yorker article: “Any allegations of non-consensual s-x are categorically refuted by Mr. Weinstein.”