The Harvey Weinstein scandal continues to unravel, ever increasing in scope and numbers, including some of the Marvel Studios family.
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Iron Man actress Gwyneth Paltrow is one of the many affected by Weinstein’s history of inappropriate behavior, a story she previously shared with a small group of friends and confidants. Paltrow isn’t beholden to executives like Weinstein for roles these days, but she was back when Weinstein made untoward advances in a private meeting (via Variety).
Paltrow recalled a meeting between the two when she was 22 years old. Weinstein had just cast her in a huge part in Emma, and set up a meeting while she was in Los Angeles. He set it up through her agents, something that gave Paltrow no reason to doubt his intentions. “it’s on the fax, it’s from C.A.A.,” Paltrow said.
Unfortunately, the meeting was anything but professional. Paltrow revealed that he tried to massage her and ultimately invited her to his bedroom, a story that is common amongst those who met with Weinstein in private meetings. Paltrow left immediately after he made those advances, and recalls being more shocked than anything that someone she trusted would do that. “I thought you were my Uncle Harvey,” Paltrow thought as she drove home.
She would later tell her boyfriend at the time Brad Pitt about what happened, which prompted Pitt to confront Weinstein at a theater premiere. He told Weinstein never to touch Paltrow again, a story that Pitt has confirmed through this rep.
After that Paltrow remembers their first conversation post incident. Weinstein was furious that she told people about what happened, something she confided in a select few friends and family, as well as her agent. “He screamed at me for a long time,” Paltrow said, adding “It was brutal”. She didn’t let him push her around though and said they needed to return to a professional relationship.
They did just that, and Paltrow did her part to keep the matter private going forward. They even won Oscars for their project Shakespeare in Love, but eventually, she would start moving away from his sphere, as their professional relationship wasn’t a smooth one. “He was alternately generous and supportive and championing, and punitive and bullying,” Paltrow said.
Now that things are coming out into the open, Paltrow is about supporting others who also went through what she did “We’re at a point in time when women need to send a clear message that this is over,” Paltrow said. “This way of treating women ends now.”
