There was a point, mid-way through this trial where I wanted to give up. I couldn’t find a definitive angle, the morale divide was messy, and I wasn’t sure what impact it offered as far as cultural reckoning was concerned. The explosive revelations had come and gone. To an extent, the implosion of Harvey Weinstein, the single most dominating force in Hollywood, felt like old news. Convincing people to care about it again (after a well-publicized NY trial) was a challenge.
It had all the elements that draw me to a lengthy court case: abuse of power, sex complexities, corrupt industry protection, and horrific Hollywood scandal masked by glittering gowns and dazzling award shows, but being in that courtroom every day confronting the perverse realities that muddy the path to fame, felt at best like a dismal reality check. If only because it exposed a vapid industry that operates on the notion that sex can leverage fame and power can negate law & consequence so long as the deal get done.
Weinstein possessed a defining sense of old-school bullying tactics that combined baiting the promise of fame with threatening demeanor. His style of business fed on fear and gratitude. It worked for over twenty years as rumors of sexual harassment and assault trailed him. His behavior was an open secret in Hollywood, kept under wraps until October 2017, when the stories he tried so hard to dispel finally went to print.
When she arrived she was naive to the industry and hungry for a break. She and a friend would attend LA parties with serious networking in mind, collecting business cards throughout the night and sitting down together afterward to compare contacts and accomplishments.
We heard all the gruesome details of these decade-old hotel hunts. His patterned assaults were predictable and collectively overlooked by all levels of Hollywood.
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We heard all the gruesome details of these decade-old hotel hunts. His patterned assaults were predictable and collectively overlooked by all levels of Hollywood.