Jessica Chastain has claimed she was told to ‘calm down’ by a ‘well-known’ actor after she spoke out about the Harvey Weinstein scandal.
The 40-year-old actress appeared on Friday night’s episode of Graham Norton during which she discussed the ‘heartbreaking’ exchange that arose last month when she said she herself had a run-in with the disgraced producer.
In the midst of the shocking scandal that shook Hollywood to its core, like many actresses, Jessica came forward while utilising Twitter as a platform to speak out yet she was soon stunned by the response from a fellow acting heavyweight.
Horror: Jessica Chastain has claimed she was told to ‘calm down’ by a ‘well-known’ actor after she spoke out about the Harvey Weinstein scandal
Weinstein’s accusations of sexual abuse have led to a plethora of high-profile men in the entertainment industry facing similar allegations after decades of silence.
Jessica weighed in last month when she claimed that she herself had a run-in with the disgraced producer after he attempted to get her to ‘pimp out’ her best friend.
As she hit out at the scenario, she used Twitter to respond to a number of issues however she admitted one star took issue with her vocalisation.
Speaking of the reported situation, she said: ‘I was tweeting a lot at the time and actually got an email from a well-known actor that said; “Calm down”.
Hurtful: The 40-year-old actress discussed the ‘heartbreaking’ exchange that arose last month when she revealed she herself had a run-in with the disgraced producer
Scandal: Jessica weighed in last month when she revealed that she herself had a run-in with the disgraced producer after he attempted to get her to ‘pimp out’ her best friend
‘I found that heartbreaking and can only think he didn’t understand the movement that was happening.’
The Oscar-nominated actress had tweeted in October that she had been ‘warned’ about Weinstein’s predatory advances towards women.
She wrote: ‘I was warned from the beginning. The stories were everywhere. To deny that is to create an enviornment for it to happen again.’
She also shared an article about men needing to ‘help change Hollywood’s culture of inappropriate behaviour towards women.’
Vocal: As she hit out at the scenario, she used Twitter to respond to a number of issues however she admitted one star took issue with her vocalisation
Disgrace: Speaking of the situation, she said: ‘I was tweeting a lot at the time and actually got an email from a well-known actor that said; “Calm down” ‘
Speaking out: The Oscar-nominated actress had tweeted in October that she had been ‘warned’ about Weinstein’s predatory advances towards women
Defiant: She also shared an article about men needing to ‘help change Hollywood’s culture of inappropriate behaviour towards women’ and penned this tweet
Not having it: She also shut down a follower who challenged her after she said she was ‘warned’ about the ex-mogul
The Help star wrote: ‘Yes. Im sick of the media demanding only women speak up. What about the men? Perhaps many are afraid to look at their own behavior.’
Weinstein has been accused by more than 80 women of sexual assault, including prominent A-listers like Gwyneth Paltrow, Anjeline Jolie and Cara Delevingne.
The actress also spoke about her new film Molly’s Game on the Graham Norton show, revealing she prepared for the role by watching poker games.
She said: ‘I sat in on a few real poker games to prepare but I found it very stressful. The amount of money involved is crazy and I think I might have been the bringer of bad luck because everyone lost lots of money and no one looked happy at all.’
New film: The actress made the admission while appearing on the Graham Norton show on Friday night. She also spoke about her new film Molly’s Game, revealing she prepared for the role by watching poker games
Candid: She said: ‘I sat in on a few real poker games to prepare but I found it very stressful. The amount of money involved is crazy.’ Pictured with guests Dawn French and Rebel Wilson
Asked if she had ever played poker herself, she admitted: ‘My mum taught me to play when I was a kid using my Halloween candy, but I really don’t like to gamble because I don’t believe in the idea of good luck.’
The Graham Norton Show airs on BBC One on Friday at 10.35pm.
Jessica’s comments about Harvey come after she hit out at Hollywood’s decades-long history of sexual abuse in light of Harvey Weinstein scandal.
Speaking to ES magazine, the 40-year-old actress said: ‘Yeah, he tried to get me to pimp out my best friend Jess Weixler. Like very flirtatious, “Oh I’ve got such a crush on her – you got to help me.”
‘He’s incredibly friendly but also very volatile. He normalised the abuse. But everyone in this industry is complicit. We’re all part of the problem.
Opening up: Asked if she had ever played poker herself, she admitted: ‘My mum taught me to play when I was a kid using my Halloween candy, but I really don’t like to gamble because I don’t believe in the idea of good luck’
A-list crowd: The actress was joined by Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Rebel Wilson, Jessica Chastain, and Dawn French on the red couch
‘I heard the rumours even before I entered the industry. So we have to ask ourselves, why was it okay? Why are agents sending actresses to meetings in hotel rooms?
‘It goes back to the days of Fatty Arbuckle, Louis B Mayer, Jack Warner. Shirley Temple said in her biography that when she was 12, a producer pulled out his penis!
‘So we can look at Harvey as though he was the cancer or we can be realistic. He’s not the disease, he’s the symptom.’
While Harvey, 65, has retreated from an industry he once dominated following accusations of sexual abuse from more than 80 women over a 30-year period, Jessica believes there’s an achievable solution to changing the status quo.
Complicit: The Oscar-winning actress has deemed disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein (pictured) the ‘symptom’ of a system that has been ‘complicit’ in Hollywood
The actress believes that there should be ‘more women in positions of power’ in the film industry, in order to improve the way in which Hollywood works.
She explained: ‘Like a safe place in this industry for women to go if something has happened to them. And we need movie studios with a board that’s not one gender.
More women filmmakers, writers and producers. The one huge thing that we’ve never tried in Hollywood is putting more women in positions of power.’
Out now: Read the full interview in this week’s edition of ES magazine, out now
Jessica, who married her long-term partner Gian Luca Passi de Preposulo in June, is currently on the promotional trail for her latest film Molly’s Game.
The movie, written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, is based on the true-life story of Molly Bloom (Chastain) who is an injured Olympic skier who goes on to run the most exclusive high-stakes poker game in the world.
Her character is forced to be worldly as she battles her way through a highly male-dominated world.
The film is Aaron Sorkin’s directorial debut after writing blockbuster hits A Few Good Men, The Social Network and Steve Jobs.
Molly’s Game is scheduled for limited release in the United States on Christmas Day, before having its nationwide release on January 5.
Jessica Chastain’s full interview appears in this week’s edition of ES Magazine, out on Thursday 30th November.
On the promotional trail: Jessica, married to Gian Luca Passi de Preposulo (pictured), is currently promoting her latest film, Molly’s Game