Salma Hayek On Why She Waited To Reveal Her Experience With Harvey Weinstein
Salma Hayek shocked fans when she revealed that she was on the long list of celebrities and famous actresses who fell victim to Harvey Weinstein’s sexual misconduct. The actress has spoken out again and revealed why she waited so long to speak.
Salma Hayek Explains Hesitation
Hayek first came forward in December when she revealed what really happened during the time she worked with Weinstein on the film Frida that hit theaters back in 2002. The film went on to win an Academy Award, and it was a huge price to pay for Hayek who said Weinstein sexually assaulted her. He has since maintained his innocence.
Hayek went into even more detail during an interview with Oprah Winfrey for the talk show host’s Oprah’s Super Soul Conversation Live Event. Hayek said that considering her incident with Weinstein took place more than 15 years ago, she had opportunities to expose him but decided not to.
She explained that she couldn’t handle it when The New York Times first approached her about sharing her story.
“…there was all this turmoil and I started crying when they asked and I ended up not doing it. And then I felt ashamed that I was a coward. I was supporting women for two decades but I couldn’t do this…I thought of my daughter…I thought of the shame.”
She said she was even more “ashamed” that she didn’t speak up when other women shared their similar experiences with the disgraced movie producer. At the same time, she said that since there were so many women speaking up, her story wouldn’t make much of a difference. Still, she changed her mind and decided to move forward with her own essay two months after the Times contacted her.
Harvey Weinstein Strikes Back
Weinstein's publicity team spoke out and said that Weinstein holds Hayek at the highest regard. They even added that Jennifer Lopez was also up for the part in Frida and “was a bigger star” than Hayek, but Weinstein cast Hayek instead.
Hayek stands by her story and shared advice for women who have been in similar situations.
“It’s important to take responsibility for the things we do to others, but we must stop apologizing for being attacked and we must move into a place where you can actually have a conversation,” said Hayek. “It is important to release the anger. I don’t want us to go from victims to angry. I don’t want our anger to be our motto. That doesn’t mean we are not angry.”
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