Scalding Tea Served: Glenn Close Says People Are Lying About Not Knowing Of The Weinstein Scandals
On the heels of The New York Times publishing Salma Hayek's account of what it was like working with Harvey Weinstein on Frida, Glenn Close drops insight on the Weinstein scandals in an exclusive Jezebel interview.
As we previously published, Hayek noted that Weinstein threatened to kill her and even told her he would cut funding from producing Frida if she and Ashley Judd didn't have a sex scene in the movie.
"The Beatriz At Dinner actress said once Weinstein understood she would not succumb to his wants, he began to take away roles from her while she was under contract with his production company or he would assign difficult tasks for her to complete.Hayek also revealed that the sex scene between her and Ashley Judd in Frida was a demand from Weinstein. He wanted his fantasies to be acted out, some way, somehow. She continued the piece noting how she became more anxious during the production of the film and Weinstein's behavior became more violent."
Glenn Close's Thoughts
In her interview, Close validated Hayek's claims by stating people are liars if they didn't know Weinstein had an unsavory attitude, to say the least.
"Thinking back, I never was preyed upon. In the Harvey case, you’d be lying if you said you didn’t know that he had a terrible reputation. He was known to be a pig," the Fatal Attraction actress told journalist Rich Juzwiak.
She went on to share her own experience of being around men in the entertainment industry who didn't make her feel safe. "There were times when I was made extremely uncomfortable in two [non-Weinstein] auditions. It was like, “What game is going on here? I don’t even know what the rules are, what the game is.” I go in very sincerely trying to do a scene, and all of a sudden, it has nothing to with a scene," she relayed, referring to an audition she went to once.
Close continued stating that when actresses go on auditions, they are usually faced with having to perform or showcase their sex appeal. Not necessarily performing their prospective character's role.
"They’re looking at sexual chemistry rather than anything else," the 70-year-old shared.
"It’s f--ked and it’s unfair."
How Gossip Helps
When asked how she felt about seeing men she's worked with being accused of sexual misconduct, she said she knew about their behavior thanks to the ever-churning Hollywood rumor mill.
"Weinstein, that was his reputation. Kevin Spacey, that was his reputation. My brother said, “Did you know you were on Fox News?” Apparently, they said, “She knew and she didn’t do anything.” I thought, “That’s where I think gossip is good.” Someone wrote about that: Gossip is what women do sometimes to keep themselves out of danger. I heard gossip, but I didn’t hear, you know... The gossip informed me."
What Close speaks of is nothing new. In any industry or even in academic communities, gossip has helped people be aware of those who abuse their power and use intimidation tactics on people.
Read Close's interview in its entirety, here.
