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Kate Beckinsale accuses Harvey Weinstein of sexual advances in a moving note

News Agencies 13 October 2017, 10:29 IST

Kate Beckinsale accuses Harvey Weinstein of sexual advances in a moving note

Hollywood actress Kate Beckinsale, who has worked with Harvey Weinstein in movies like 'Serendipity' and 'The Aviator', has now joined the growing list of actresses, who have accused the studio mogul of sexual abuse.

Taking to Instagram, the 44-year-old actress shared a heartbreaking note, stating that Weinstein made inappropriate advances when she was a teenager at The Savoy Hotel in London.

In the post, she also said that refusing to succumb to his sexual pursuits has "undoubtedly harmed" her career.

Alongside a photograph of her when she was younger, she wrote, "I was called to meet Harvey Weinstein at the Savoy Hotel when I was 17. I assumed it would be in a conference room which was very common. When I arrived, reception told me to go to his room. He opened the door in his bathrobe. I was incredibly naive and young and it did not cross my mind that this older, unattractive man would expect me to have any sexual interest in him. After declining alcohol and announcing that I had school in the morning I left, uneasy but unscathed."

I was called to meet Harvey Weinstein at the Savoy Hotel when I was 17. I assumed it would be in a conference room which was very common.When I arrived ,reception told me to go to his room . He opened the door in his bathrobe . I was incredibly naive and young and it did not cross my mind that this older ,unattractive man would expect me to have any sexual interest in him .After declining alcohol and announcing that I had school in the morning I left ,uneasy but unscathed.A few years later he asked me if he had tried anything with me in that first meeting .I realized he couldn't remember if he had assaulted me or not .I had what I thought were boundaries - I said no to him professionally many times over the years-some of which ended up with him screaming at me calling me a cunt and making threats, some of which made him laughingly tell people oh "Kate lives to say no to me ." It speaks to the status quo in this business that I was aware that standing up for myself and saying no to things,while it did allow me to feel uncompromised in myself,undoubtedly harmed my career and was never something I felt supported by anyone other than my family.I would like to applaud the women who have come forward , and to pledge that we can from this create a new paradigm where producers,managers,executives and assistants and everyone who has in the past shrugged and said " well, that's just Harvey /Mr X/insert name here " will realize that we in numbers can affect real change.For every moment like this there have been thousands where a vulnerable person has confided outrageous unprofessional behavior and found they have no recourse, due to an atmosphere of fear that it seems almost everyone has been living in .I had a male friend who, based on my experience,warned a young actress who said she was going to dinner with Harvey to be careful. He received a phone call the next day saying he would never work in another Miramax film ;the girl was already sleeping with Harvey and had told him that my friend had warned her off.Let's stop allowing our young women to be sexual cannon fodder,and let's remember that Harvey is an emblem of a system that is sick,and that we have work to do.

A post shared by Kate Beckinsale (@katebeckinsale) on

The 'Underworld' star also claimed that Harvey "couldn't remember" whether he had "assaulted" her, and asked her if he had ever acted inappropriately towards her in the past.

"A few years later he asked me if he had tried anything with me in that first meeting. I realised he couldn't remember if he had assaulted me or not. I had what I thought were boundaries," noted Beckinsale.

She further wrote, "I said no to him professionally many times over the years-some of which ended up with him screaming at me calling me a c**t and making threats, some of which made him laughingly tell people oh 'Kate lives to say no to me'. It speaks to the status quo in this business that I was aware that standing up for myself and saying no to things, while it did allow me to feel uncompromised in myself, undoubtedly harmed my career and was never something I felt supported by anyone other than my family."

The actress concluded the lengthy post by saying, "Let's stop allowing our young women to be sexual cannon fodder, and let's remember that Harvey is an emblem of a system that is sick, and that we have work to do."

Many Hollywood actresses including Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow have come out with the claims that the movie mogul tried to sexually harass them.

Several Hollywood A-listers have hit out at Harvey over the allegations, including Kate Winslet and Meryl Streep.

Other names include Rose McGowan, Ben Affleck, Leonardo DiCaprio, Charlize Theron, Jennifer Lawrence. 

-ANI

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