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Harvey Weinstein Has Denied Sexually Harassing Salma Hayek

It's one of the only times he's spoken out

Overnight, a harrowing op-ed was released by Salma Hayek, describing her alleged encounters with disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein while making the film Frida in 2002.

In the New York Times exclusive, Hayek alleged that “for years, he was my monster” but that she had “brainwashed” herself “into thinking that it was over”.

The actress writes that she was forced to deny the advances of Weinstein on multiple occasions and that the disgraced film producer once threatened to kill her. 

“The range of his persuasion tactics went from sweet-talking me to that one time when, in an attack of fury, he said the terrifying words, “I will kill you, don’t think I can’t,” she wrote.

salma hayek
Salma Hayek and Harvey Weinstein in 2010

Now, Weinstein has responded to the claims Hayek made against him, denying all allegations of sexual harassment or assault. It’s one of the only times he has spoken out about the many, many allegations made against him.

“Mr. Weinstein does not recall pressuring Salma to do a gratuitous sex scene with a female costar and he was not there for the filming,” the statement, released this afternoon, read. 

“However, that was part of the story, as Frida Kahlo was bisexual and the more significant sex scene was choreographed by Ms. Hayek with Geoffrey Rush [who played Leon Trotsky]. The original uni-brow used was an issue because it diverted attention from the performances. All of the sexual allegations as portrayed by Salma are not accurate and others who witnessed the events have a different account of what transpired.”

It continued: “By Mr. Weinstein’s own admission, his boorish behaviour following a screening of Frida was prompted by his own disappointment in the cut of the movie – and a reason he took a firm hand in the final edit, alongside the very skilled director Julie Taymor.”

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