Quentin Tarantino Says He Knew About Harvey Weinstein’s Alleged Abuse For Decades

The friendship between famed filmmaker Quentin Tarantino and embattled producer Harvey Weinstein has been well-documented, especially in recent weeks as Weinstein has faced numerous allegations of sexual abuse. And while he initially expressed shock and disappointment after learning about these accusations, the Pulp Fiction director made some additional revelations in a new interview, admitting that he had actually known about Weinstein’s purported actions for decades.

In an interview with the New York Times, Tarantino said that he had known for some time that Weinstein had “(done) a couple of these things,” referring to instances of sexual abuse supposedly committed by the Miramax co-founder. Specifically, he mentioned that he had heard these stories through several women, including ex-girlfriend Mira Sorvino and Rose McGowan, the latter of whom has been very vocal about Weinstein’s purported actions.

Talking about the Harvey Weinstein stories and rumors he had heard of through the years, Tarantino told the New York Times that he didn’t take things too seriously, instead associating the tales to a “’50s-’60s era image of a boss chasing a secretary around the desk.” He expressed remorse for “marginalizing” the incidents, and added that he doesn’t have any good excuse to make for not speaking up.

Despite having kept silent for years, Quentin Tarantino said that he regrets not taking the allegations against Harvey Weinstein as seriously as he should have.

“I knew enough to do more than I did,” said Tarantino.

“There was more to it than just the normal rumors, the normal gossip. It wasn’t secondhand. I knew he did a couple of these things. I wish I had taken responsibility for what I heard.”

As noted by HuffPost, Quentin Tarantino and Harvey Weinstein have been friends and business associates since the 1990s, when the former was an up-and-coming young filmmaker. Some of Tarantino’s iconic films, including Pulp Fiction and the Kill Bill series, were distributed by Weinstein’s Miramax Films, with The Weinstein Company distributing newer movies such as Django Unchained and The Hateful Eight.

Given the 25-year business and personal relationship between both men, Quentin Tarantino said that he also regrets having worked with Harvey Weinstein for so long, even at a point when he was fully aware of the movie mogul’s alleged mistreatment of women. The two were still close friends as recently as a few weeks ago, when Weinstein threw an engagement party for the 54-year-old Tarantino.

Tarantino, who frequently worked with Harvey Weinstein, apologizes for staying silent about Harvey's alleged abusehttps://t.co/FrnUPpS0HS pic.twitter.com/IRkZbs1Z5f

— CNN (@CNN) October 20, 2017

Having admitted his regret for his previous silence, Quentin Tarantino condemned the “almost Jim Crow-like” nature of Hollywood that has allowed men to get away with similar abuses of power and authority to the ones Weinstein is being accused of. He also encouraged other men to do more than just issue prepared statements on the Weinstein issue, and to be more open when discussing the particulars of sexual abuse cases they may be aware of.

“I’m calling on the other guys who knew more to not be scared. Don’t just give out statements. Acknowledge that there was something rotten in Denmark. Vow to do better by our sisters.”

Quentin Tarantino’s New York Times interview came about a week after he made his first public comments on the Harvey Weinstein case. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Tarantino shared the statement through his friend, actress Amber Tamblyn, and while he said that he was “stunned and heartbroken” by the allegations made against Weinstein, he added that he needed a few more days to “process (his) emotions” before making a more detailed public statement about the issue.

[Featured Image by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]