The young woman was shaking as she left the hotel room, still holding some of the clothes she had been wearing, after the “treatment” she had received from her boss. It was an assistant to Harvey Weinsteinthe most powerful man – according to many – in Hollywood and she had the misfortune like many others to succumb to his sick appetites.
The beautiful Venice, the film festival did not concern her anymore after the event that changed her life and her path, without knowing that she was not the only one who had been “treated” by Harvey.
He had heard stories but found it hard to believe themuntil the night she was alone with him and experienced a nightmare she never forgot, like so many other women from the area.
Until 2017 Harvey Weinstein was the exuberant “king” of Hollywoodthe man who could overnight make a then-unknown actress a star, the most powerful producer with blockbuster movies.
He was also something else, a would-be abuser who used his power to satisfy his sick appetites.
The decision to overturn his conviction by the New York Supreme Court on the grounds that he did not receive a fair trial shocked everyone and the MeToo movement, which essentially sprang from his own case.
The shocking NYT investigation
When Jodi Cantor and Megan Tui started looking into the issue of sexual harassment in the film industry, probably not imagining where it would lead them.
From the first weeks they heard Harvey Weinstein’s name in almost every meeting they hadtrying to untangle a terribly tangled mess.
They quickly realized this when they found the first names of famous actors as well as former female employees of Weinstein’s Miramax company. Ashley Judd, Gwyneth Paltrow, Rose McGowan and other women were not at all easy to speak publicly or off the record. In many cases the cases were closed with the victims being compensated by signing confidentiality agreements prohibiting them from speaking to the media about their case.
Kantor and Tui dived into uncharted waters every day, searching for the “protagonists” who had experienced sexual and abusive behavior from the “king” of Hollywood.
They traveled to various places in America and Europe in order to solve the myth of Ariadne and convince famous actresses and unknown ex-Miramax employees to break their silence. Proceeding with very careful steps they managed to find documents and gradually convince the victims to trust them, at the same time that Weinstein is informed about their investigation and prepares his counterattack. He’s trying to find out who they’ve talked to the two New York Times reporters even hiring private investigators to follow them.
Crime and punishment
The two journalists find out secret payments, dozens of compromises and – shortly before writing their article – they are confronted by Weinstein and his high-paid lawyers.
On October 5, 2017, the article by Cantor and Tui appears on the newspaper’s website and an uproar erupts after the revelations about the days and “works” of the famous film producer.
Weinstein initially denied the allegations but the outcry has brought to light other stories of abused women. At the end he is forced to announce that he is “sick” i.e. addicted to sex and that is why he will be hospitalized in a special clinic in order to become addicted.
On May 25, 2018 the once powerful producer was arrested on charges of rape and sexual assault among other offenses.
He posted $1,000,000 bail to be released but the time was now counting down, in the trials that took place he was sentenced to 23 years in prison and sent to the maximum security Wende prison located in Erie County, New York.
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Tags: rise resounding fall judicial overthrow king Hollywood
