‘The Crown’ Star Helena Bonham Carter Says Standing Up To Harvey Weinstein Was Difficult
One of the stars of the upcoming season of the popular Netflix series The Crown, Helena Bonham Carter is speaking out about the Harvey Weinstein scandal and his behavior over the years. Bonham Carter said she was very familiar with his bullying, and knew that anyone who challenged him was taking a chance with their career.
Page Six says that the actor who is now playing Princess Margaret in The Crown believed that Weinstein’s behavior would never catch up with him because he wielded so much control.
“I found the way he treated certain people chilling — without any kind of respect. There were many times I disagreed with the way he behaved, and I don’t mean sexually. There were times when Harvey asked me to do certain things, and I said no. I knew I was running a thin line. Standing up to him wasn’t an easy thing to do because I knew I could potentially lose work.”
Bonham Carter said that after she developed more avenues for work, she gradually challenged Weinstein’s behavior because she knew she could find jobs elsewhere. She says she knew that others in the industry were having sex with Weinstein but she says she wasn’t aware that it wasn’t consensual.
Helena Bonham Carter recalls moment she stood up to Harvey Weinstein https://t.co/o8oEEIhtdU pic.twitter.com/gqtMRYajLi
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But Bonham Carter says she was surprised to hear that actor Jeffrey Tambor was caught up in his own #MeToo scandal.
“[Tambor] has such compassion, and I don’t believe that same heart would be capable of any kind of abuse.”
Bonham Carter says that she was also unnerved to hear about the abuse accusations that Amber Heard made against family friend and co-star Johnny Depp.
“Johnny is still a friend. He’s the godfather to my children. I haven’t seen him for a long time. But he’s quite an elusive character.”
Bonham Carter wants to set the record straight to say that despite being surprised by some of the actors caught up in recent scandals, she still fully supports the #MeToo movement.
“You have to be absolutely rigorous about what somebody has done to stand up and accuse them. You have to honor #MeToo.”
Despite the mounting evidence against Harvey Weinstein, he still has the rare person in the industry willing to stand up for him publicly. Recently at the Venice Film Festival, an Italian director named Luciano Silighini Gargnani wore a seemingly homemade T-shirt taking Weinstein’s side. It featured a photo of the producer and a phrase.
“Weinstein is Innocent.”
