J.J Abrams Calls Harvey Weinstein a 'Monster'

One of the latest celebrities in Hollywood to speak out about Harvey Weinstein is The Force [...]

One of the latest celebrities in Hollywood to speak out about Harvey Weinstein is The Force Awakens and Star Trek director J.J. Abrams, who called the producer a "monster."

This weekend, the Hammer Museum held an event that honored director Ava DuVernay and New Yorker writer Hilton Als, drawing in a variety of industry professionals. Along the red carpet, many of the celebrities in attendance opted to not talk about the claims of sexual assault and harassment from dozens of women about Weinstein, but Abrams went the opposite route.

"Someone said to me the other day that they are sick of hearing people talk about how disgusting it is," Abrams told The Hollywood Reporter. "I don't think enough can be said about how viciously repulsive his abuse of power was. He's a monster. There are other monsters but there are those who fight monsters and tonight is all about those who fight monsters."

In recent weeks, reports began to surface about Weinstein, founder of Miramax and The Weinstein Company, and his abuse of power, which include a variety of sexual assaults and harassing remarks to get actresses to work with him on his films. Ronan Farrow published a piece in the New Yorker featuring the reports of multiple women, which added even more fuel to the fire.

Since the New Yorker piece, more women have come forward to share their experiences of harassment and assault, including Rose McGowan, Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, and Cara Delevingne.

Despite Abrams' bold claims, he refused to allow the night be defined by the controversies in the industry.

"I love her, I admire her, I would do anything for her," Abrams divulged to The Hollywood Reporter of DuVernay. "Being here is an absolute joy. I just think we are riding a very unpredictable and tumultuous and in many cases, painful wave. Being here tonight to honor someone like Ava who is doing such incredible work and is such a beacon of activism and optimism is a wonderful antidote to everything else."

One of DuVernay's most anticipated projects, the adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time, hits theaters on March 9, 2018.

(h/t The Hollywood Reporter)

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