Chiswick Actors Become Embroiled in Harvey Weinstein Scandal

Two claim to have been victims while Colin Firth speaks of shame at lack of action

The Hollywood scandal arising out of the allegations against film producer Harvey Weinstein has taken on a local dimension with two actors with links to the Chiswick area making complaints against him and Colin Firth confessing to being ashamed of not doing more after being told of an assault.

Kate Beckinsale, the star of films such as Pearl Harbour and the Underworld series has made a detailed allegation against him in a post on Instagram relating to an incident that took place when she was seventeen. At the time she was living in Chiswick and attending Godolphin and Latymer School.

Harvey Weinstein

She was supposed to be meeting Mr Weinstein at the Savoy Hotel and was directed to his room where she found him waiting in his bathrobe. He offered her alcohol but she declined and, becoming uneasy, said that she needed to be at school the next morning and left. A few years later they met again and she realised on discussing the original encounter he could recall whether he had assaulted her or not. She subsequently turned down work from him on many occasions which led to him becoming abusive about her and saying "Kate lives to say no to me".

 
Kate Beckinsale

Ms Beckinsale said, "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.

And Cara Delevingne who lives local, has also spoken publicly. In a lengthy statement posted on Instagram, she said that after meeting Weinstein at a hotel lobby he asked her to come up to his room, where another woman was waiting for the pair. Weinstein then told the two women to kiss, which Delevingne said that she got out of by suddenly breaking into song.

Chiswick-based actor Colin Firth has said he is ashamed not to have spoken out when a British actress told him about a “distressing encounter” with film producer Harvey Weinstein.

In an interview with the Guardian, the film star revealed Sophie Dix had spoken to him about an incident more than 25 years ago. She was 22 when she alleges Weinstein sexually assaulted her in a London hotel and she told Colin Firth about it.

The King’s Speech actor who starred with her in The Advocate, said, “She told me she had had a distressing encounter with Harvey Weinstein.

Colin Firth

"I don’t think she went into all the horrific detail I’ve read in her interview. But I remember her being profoundly upset by it. To my shame, I merely expressed sympathy.”

He added: “I didn’t act on what she told me. It was a long time ago and I don’t know if she remembers telling me, but the fact that I had that conversation has come back to haunt me in the light of these revelations.

“It’s the only direct account of this kind of behaviour by Harvey Weinstein that’s ever been told to me.”

Firth has joined the voices of scores of other film industry figures, expressing shock and disgust at the allegations.

October 14, 2017