Greta Scacchi has described Harvey Weinstein as one of the most ‘insidious’ predators in Hollywood at the peak of her stardom in the 80s and 90s, decades before the Me Too reckoning.
Scacchi, an Italian-Australian actress who was known for her stunning curves and willingness to show them off on-screen in films such as White Mischief and The Player, says Weinstein propositioned ‘everyone’, including her on many occasions.
‘It practically came out of his mouth involuntarily. It was so rife,’ Scacchi, now 59, told The Daily Beast in an interview published Thursday.
Scacchi has been in the entertainment industry for most of her life, having started modeling when she was a teenager before making her film debut in 1981 at the age of 21.
The Hollywood she rose to stardom in had ‘many predatory types’, she said, with Weinstein among the most dangerous.
‘Definitely when it comes to Harvey Weinstein it gets very insidious, because he definitely had a lot of power in Hollywood,’ Scacchi said.
‘He did have the power to press buttons, let’s say, to make your career go.’
Greta Scacchi says Harvey Weinstein would proposition ‘everyone’ when she knew him at the height of her stardom in the 80s and 90s. The actress (left in June) described the disgraced movie mogul (right in 2017) as one of the most ‘insidious’ predators in Hollywood because of the power he wielded in making people’s careers
Scacchi is an Italian-Australian actress who was known for her stunning curves and willingness to show them off on-screen in films such as White Mischief (pictured) and Emma. In a new interview with The Daily Beast, Scacchi questions whether she would have become more famous if she had given into Weinstein’s advances
One of Scacchi’s most famous roles was in the 1996 film Emma, which was produced by Weinstein.
Scacchi said she was lucky that she didn’t cross paths with Weinstein until she was 30 and already established, so she didn’t feel the need to exploit herself for his approval.
‘I certainly knew how to handle myself,’ she said. ‘Well, if he asked me for a massage, I would say: “You are in the Ritz, they have got great masseurs downstairs.”‘
She continued: ‘I could because I wasn’t vulnerable. I wasn’t young. I didn’t have anything to lose particularly.
‘Yes, maybe if I had wanted to cooperate with what he wanted, then maybe I would have had a more successful career, but I wasn’t going to do it that way. It was of no interest to me.’
Scacchi said she felt prepared to handle sexual harassment early on because she was so young when she got her start in the industry.
‘I had plenty of experiences [modeling] so that by the time I was 17, 18, I was ready to use my knee,’ she said.
‘My mother had taught me: this is what they are for. This is why they are designed in that position, because you can really protect yourself.
‘I learnt to be very audacious. I think perhaps being half-Italian, and from the desire to be an actor, I could make a scene. I could say what I wanted to say.’
Scacchi she doesn’t think that sexual harassment is any more common in entertainment than in other industry’s, but it gets more attention because of name recognition.
‘Just because famous people can be identified by the masses, it causes a little more of a stir, and it is certainly more attractive to newspapers if you can put recognizable names to a story,’ she said.
One of Scacchi’s most famous roles was in the 1996 film Emma, which was produced by Weinstein. Scacchi is pictured with Emma co-star Gwyneth Paltrow at the film’s release
Scacchi (pictured in the 1990s) said she was lucky that she didn’t cross paths with Weinstein until she was 30 and already established, so she didn’t feel the need to gain his approval
Dozens of women have accused Weinstein of sexual harassment, assault and rape spanning his several decades as a leading figure in Hollywood.
The movie mogul’s fall from grace was triggered in October 2017 after bombshell reports of abuse in The New Yorker and the New York Times.
On Wednesday reports emerged that Weinstein has reached a tentative $25million civil settlement with dozens of his alleged sexual misconduct victims following a two-year legal fight.
Under the settlement, which has reportedly received preliminary approval from all major parties involved, the 67-year-old would not have to admit any wrongdoing or pay his accusers out of his own pocket.
The payout would be footed by various insurance companies representing the producer’s former studio, the Weinstein Company.
It would be split among the claimants – which include more than 30 actresses and former Weinstein employees that have accused him of numerous sexual offenses including rape – and any other accusers that should come forward in the months ahead.
As a result, the settlement would essentially bring an end to every civil suit filed against Weinstein and his former company, pending a court approval and final sign off by all parties.
Weinstein is still set to face a criminal trial in New York City court next month on charges of sexual assault involving two women, one who claims he raped her in a Manhattan hotel in 2013 and another who claims he forced her to perform oral sex on him at his townhouse in 2006.
He faces up to life in prison if convicted.
Dozens of women have accused Weinstein of sexual harassment, assault and rape spanning his several decades as a leading figure in Hollywood. On Wednesday reports emerged that he has has reached a tentative $25million civil settlement with more than 30 of his alleged victims
Weinstein is set to face a criminal trial in New York City court next month on charges of sexual assault involving two women. He is seen arriving in court for a bail hearing on Wednesday