Actress Rose McGowan has called on men for support after claiming Harvey Weinstein raped her and that Amazon covered it up so they could win a ‘dirty Oscar.’
Streaming giant Amazon announced on Thursday evening that producer Roy Price is ‘on leave of absence effective immediately’ from the company, less than three hours after McGowan took aim at him on Twitter.
The 44-year-old actress, who is one of Harvey Weinstein’s more than 30 victims, alleged that Price had said her rape claims against ‘HW’ were not credible when she tried to advise him against bailing out Weinstein’s company.
He responded by killing the project she was developing for the company, claims McGowan.
‘I told the head of your studio that HW raped me. Over & over I said it. He said it hadn’t been proven. I said I was the proof,’ said McGowan on Thursday in a tweet directed at company founder Jeff Bezos.
‘I had already sold a script I wrote to your studio, it was in development. When I heard a Weinstein bailout was in the works.’
She then added: ‘I forcefully begged studio head to do the right thing. I was ignored. Deal was done. Amazon won a dirty Oscar.’
‘HW’ is apparently a reference to Harvey Weinstein, whose representative Sallie Hofmeister has said that he client ‘unequivocally denies … any allegations of non-consensual contact.’
And the ‘dirty Oscar’ McGowan discussed seems to be a reference to Casey Affleck’s Best Actor win for ‘Manchester by the Sea,’ which was picked up by Amazon in 2016.
McGowan also issued a rallying cry to her male supporters to speak more loudly in denouncing sexual abuse.
She said on Twitter: ‘MEN: if you are on here tomorrow, I urge you to AMPLIFY our voices. Call on your brothers to be better, go after ones who won’t.’
New claims: Rose McGowan (above with Amazon studio head Roy Price in June 2016) posted a series on Tweets on Thursday claiming that Amazon Studio killed her TV series over statements she made about her rapist ‘HW’
Getting started: McGowan directed all her tweets at Jeff Bezos, the head of Amazon
Not approved: ‘I had already sold a script I wrote to your studio, it was in development. When I heard a Weinstein bailout was in the works,’ said McGowan
Manchester madness: That ‘dirty Oscar’ seems to be a reference to Casey Affleck’s Best Actor win for ‘Manchester by the Sea’ earlier this year
Taking a stand: When McGowan got to work trying to get her script back she learned that the project had been killed, ending her chances of continuing on the series
Positive message: McGowan urged Bezos to ‘be the change he wants to see in the world’
Soon after McGowan’s revelation, a lesbian producer came forward to share her story, stating that in 2015 Price made a number of inappropriate remarks to her while on a business trip at Comic Con, even telling the woman at one point: ‘You will like my d***.’
That woman immediately reported his actions and said she has not seen him since, but this appears to be the first time his is being placed on leave by Amazon.
Isa Hackett said that she first met Price in July of 2015 when the two attended an event at Comic Con, telling The Hollywood Reporter that Price invited her to a party later that evening and they shared a cab to the venue.
It was during that cab ride when Price reportedly began to proposition Hackett and speak about how much she would appreciate his genitalia, at which point she informed her co-worker that she was happily married to another woman and had a child.
Then, once they arrived at the party, Hackett, 50, claims that she was talking to executives from the company while Price, who is 51, ran over and loudly said: ‘Anal sex.’
Hackett, whose father is famed author Philip K. Dick, said that she told an Amazon executives what happened almost immediately, and since that time has never seen Price at one of her events.
Shock: Isa Hackett (above on Friday) said that she first met price in July of 2015 and he harassed her within hours
The studio is currently producing a television adaptation of her father’s series ‘The Man In High Castle.’
She also said that an investigation was carried out, but she is unsure what came of it in the end.
Price was by Bezos’ side at the Academy Awards in February, so this is a swift fall from grace for the executive.
That is when Amazon won the ‘dirty Oscar’ McGowan wrote about, which seems to be a reference to Casey Affleck’s Best Actor win for ‘Manchester by the Sea’ earlier this year.
He took home that award despite two women accusing him of sexual harassment, with a clearly perturbed Brie Larson making no effort to hide her displeasure when she was forced to handover the hardware to Casey per tradition as the previous year’s recipient of the Best Actress award.
McGowan did not identify Casey by name, but the only other Oscars that Amazon has won are the Best Original Screenplay award for Kenneth Lonergan and Best Foreign Language Film for the Iranian drama ‘The Salesman.’
Amazon picked up ‘Manchester by the Sea’ at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival for a near-record $10 million, and the film ultimately ended up netting the movie industry upstart six Oscar nominations and two wins.
Those accolades came in addition to the impressive worldwide box office of over $75 million, an impressive feat given the very adult subject matter at the center of the film.
Laying low: Bezos (above in 2013) and Amazon have yet to respond to a request for comment on McGowan’s tweets
Voicing disgust: McGowan said that she then ‘begged studio head to do the right thing’ but was ignored, and soon after Amazon won ‘a dirty Oscar’ (Michelle Williams and Casey Affleck in ‘Manchester’ above)
It is unclear what role Weinstein played in the funding or sale of Manchester, but he has worked frequently with the film’s two leads – Casey and Michelle Williams – as well as the executive producer of the picture Matt Damon.
He did not however have a credited part in the production, and spent last awards season championing his own picture, ‘Lion.’
Weinstein Company is developing two new series with Amazon however, one produced by Oscar-winning director and writer David O. Russell and ‘The Romanoffs,’ which will be Matt Weiner’s follow up to his critically acclaimed series ‘Mad Men.’
The disgraced executive’s name is already being removed from the series.
Amazon said that the studio was ‘reviewing our options for the projects we have with The Weinstein Company’ earlier this week.
There is a chance that Russell’s series could even be cancelled or indefinitely shelved in light of recent events.
Accused harassers: Affleck (rigth) and Price (left) have both been accused of sexual harassment by women they worked with
Winners still: Affleck (left) with his Oscar; Price and Bezos at the 2017 Golden Globe Awards (right)
McGowan did not name the executive she was referencing in her Twitter thread.
The deal between herself and Amazon was never confirmed, but in June 2016 Price did post a photo of himself with McGowan.
‘You come talking that trash we’ll pull your card. Tough face contest lost to @rosemcgowan #eazye #rosearmy,’ wrote Price.
He is now finding himself at the mercy of the #rosearmy himself after the actress’ tweets.
‘I called my attorney & said I want to get my script back, but before I could, #2 @amazonstudios called to say my show was dead,’ claimed McGowan.
That move meant that she was no longer able to take her screenplay to another studio or network in an attempt to develop her work elsewhere, and that Amazon would forever hold the rights.
‘I am calling on you to stop funding rapists, alleged pedos and sexual harassers. I love @amazonstudios but there is rot in Hollywood.’
She closed out by stating: ‘Be the change you want to see in the world. Stand with truth. #ROSEARMY #Amazon.’
Just a few minutes before she bust out her Twitter thread, McGowan posted a photo of a female samurai and wrote: ‘It’s on.’
Keeping it covered: Weinstein’s daughter was seen arriving back at her home on Thursday
Worries: Lily called authorities after fearing her father might be suicidal on Wednesday
McGowan revealed that she had sold her show to Amazon last September, with the series supposedly an account of her youth growing up as a member of the Children of God.
The actress is not done fighting yet either, when she took aim at Ryan Gosling, who finally commented on Weinstein’s harassment and assault of women on Thursday, one week after the release of the first New York Times story.
‘I want to add my voice of support for the women who have had the courage to speak out against Harvey Weinstein,’ wrote Gosling on Twitter.
‘Like most people in Hollywood, I have worked with him and I’m deeply disappointed in myself for being so oblivious to these devastating experiences of sexual harassment and abuse. He is emblematic of a systemic problem.’
The actress is not done fighting yet either, when she took aim at Ryan Gosling, who finally commented on Weinstein’s harassment and assault of women on Thursday
He then added: ‘Men should stand with women and work together until there is real accountability and change.’
Weinstein Company released Gosling’s 2010 film ‘Blue Valentine’ with Michelle Williams.
McGowan wrote back to Gosling after reading his statement: ‘You could at least do us the courtesy of saying our names.’
She later added: ‘How will you stand for change? #BEBRAVE’
Selma Blair also took to Twitter on Thursday to throw her support behind McGowan.
With her: Selma Blair also took to Twitter on Thursday to show her support for McGowan