Scores of women, both famous and non-famous, have accused disgraced mogul and convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein of rape and sexual assault since dual bombshell exposes on his alleged conduct dropped in the fall of 2017. That list includes megastar Angelina Jolie, who, in a new interview, is speaking out about her experiences with the Miramax co-founder and the personal turmoil that followed her ex-husband Brad Pitt’s decision to work with the producer on a pair of projects years later.
In a new profile published by the Guardian to promote Jolie’s upcoming book, “Know Your Rights and Claim Them: A Guide for Youth,” the actress and activist opened up about her experience with Weinstein, which she says occurred around the time she starred in the Miramax-produced 1998 ensemble relationship dramedy “Playing by Heart.” Without elaborating on the details of the encounter, Jolie characterized Weinstein’s conduct as “beyond a pass, it was something I had to escape. I stayed away and warned people about him. I remember telling Jonny, my first husband, who was great about it, to spread the word to other guys – don’t let girls go alone with him.”
Though Jolie managed to extricate herself from the situation – and even downplayed the incident to herself in the aftermath – she told the paper that she now characterizes Weinstein’s behavior as an “abuse” of her rights. “If you get yourself out of the room, you think he attempted but didn’t, right?” she said. “The truth is that the attempt and the experience of the attempt is an assault.”
Following the episode, Jolie refused to work with the producer again, even turning down a role in Martin Scorsese’s 2004 Howard Hughes biopic The Aviator due to his involvement. “I never associated or worked with him again,” Jolie added. “It was hard for me when Brad did.”
Jolie is referring, of course, to Pitt’s starring role in Quentin Tarantino’s 2009 WWII thriller “Inglourious Basterds,” which was co-produced by The Weinstein Company, as well as his later work with Weinstein on the 2012 thriller “Killing Them Softly,” which Jolie claims Pitt actually approached the studio head about producing. “We fought about it. Of course it hurt,” Jolie continued of Pitt’s willingness to work with Weinstein despite knowing that the producer had assaulted her.
Jolie is currently locked in a legal battle with Pitt over custody of the former couple’s children. She previously accused Pitt of an incident of physical abuse toward their son Maddox, then 15, during a flight on a private plane in 2016.
Weinstein, who is now serving a 23-year jail sentence for rape and sexual assault, is denying Jolie’s allegation, calling her claims “brazenly untrue and clickbait publicity” in a statement sent to TMZ.
Jolie, whose most recent project to see release was the Warner Bros. action-thriller “Those Who Wish Me Dead,” will next be seen onscreen in Marvel’s “The Eternals,” which is slated to hit theaters on Nov. 15, 2021. She is also attached to direct the biopic “Unreasonable Behavior” about war photographer Don McCullin and is slated to star opposite Christoph Waltz in the drama “Every Note Played” directed by Michael Sucsy.