Renée Zellweger: I didn’t offer Weinstein sex for roles

When dozens of actresses came forward to accuse Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment in the past two months, one of his former muses was strangely silent – Renée Zellweger. 

But on Wednesday, the Bridget Jones Diary actress had a few choice words when she learned of a lawsuit that alleged she offered Weinstein sexual favors for roles. 

Actress Melissa Sagemiller is a plaintiff in a new lawsuit filed against Weinstein this week in New York federal court. 

A lawsuit filed this week claims Weinstein once told an actress that Renée Zellweger and Charlize Theron traded sexual favors to further their careers (Zellweger and Weinstein pictured above in 2006)

Zellweger fiercely denied the claim, telling US Weekly through a spokesman that ‘If Harvey said that, he’s full of s***’. She appeared in such Weinstein-produced films as Bridget Jones’s Diary (left) and Chicago (right)

She says during an encounter with Weinstien in the summer of 2000, he tried to coax her into having sex with him on the promise that it would further her career. 

The lawsuit says that Weinstein told her that ‘Renée Zellweger, Charlize Theron and other actresses gave sexual favors’. 

Zellweger’s career did hit its stride around that time, when Bridget Jones’s Diary was released a year later. She then continued to pad out her IMDB page with such hits as Chicago and Cold Mountain, both also produced by Weinstein.  

But in a statement issued to US Weekly on Wednesday, through a spokesman, Zellweger denied that she slept her way to the top. 

‘If Harvey said that, he’s full of s***,’ the representative said. 

As for Theron, she has yet to weigh in on the claims in the lawsuit. 

But shortly after the allegations against Weinstein came to light in October, she published a statement on Instagram saying she wasn’t surprised. 

‘The women who have spoken about their abuse are brave and heroic and although I didn’t have a personal experience like this with Harvey Weinstein, I unfortunately cannot say I’m surprised. This culture has always existed, not just in Hollywood but across the world,’ the statement read, in part. 

When the allegations against Weinstein came to light in October, Zellweger remained silent, despite having worked with his extensively. The two pictured above in 2005

When the allegations against Weinstein came to light in October, Zellweger remained silent, despite having worked with his extensively. The two pictured above in 2005

Zellweger was one of the few who didn’t offer any statement after the scandal, despite having worked extensively with Weinstein. 

DailyMail.com reached out to Zellweger for comment on October about the allegations against the longtime producer but she never replied. 

Zellweger first worked with Weinstein on the 1998 film A Price Above Rubies. She She then had back-to-back-to-back winners at his then-production company Miramax with Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001), Chicago (2002), and Cold Mountain (2003). Zellweger later worked with him again on the 2006 film Miss Potter, after Weinstein and his brother Bob set up The Weinstein Co. 

When Zellweger won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Cold Mountain, she made sure to thank her ‘friends at Miramax, especially Harvey’.

Theron worked with Weinstien on five films – 1998’s Celebrity, 1999’s The Cider House Rules, 2000’s The Yards, 2002’s Waking up in Reno and 2009’s The Road. The first four were at Miramax and the fifth was at The Weinstein Co.  

Charlize Theron starred in five Weinstein-produced films including 1999’s The Cider House Rules

Theron released this statement after the allegations came to light about Weinstein in October

Theron released this statement after the allegations came to light about Weinstein in October



Read more at DailyMail.co.uk