He told me I'd never work again: Patricia Clarkson reflects on her 2003 dispute with Harvey Weinstein

Washington, May 8: Oscar-nominated actress Patricia Clarkson has recently opened up about a troubling encounter she had with former Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, recounting a moment in which he vowed she would "never work again" following a dispute over her Academy Award nomination in the early 2000s.

Clarkson, who starred in the 2003 film 'The Station Agent' under Miramax's banner, explained that Weinstein attempted to categorise her performance as that of a Supporting Actress for the 76th Academy Awards, despite her role being that of a lead.

The actress resisted Weinstein's push and refused to enter the supporting category.

"I hate when actors put themselves in false categories. I think that's something that needs to be addressed by the Academy," Clarkson said in an interview, as per Deadline.

"When you are supporting, you should be truly a supporting player, and when you're the lead, you have to step up and go into a harder category. I was the lead in Station Agent, so I said, 'No, Harvey, I'm not going into supporting,'" she added.

The actress continued, explaining that, at the same time, she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the United Artists film Pieces of April, where Katie Holmes was the clear lead.

Clarkson's stand against Weinstein led to an infamous confrontation in which the producer threatened her career.

"So I went up against Harvey, and he told me I'd never work again," Clarkson revealed, adding, "It got very ugly."

In the years following the incident, Harvey Weinstein's history of misconduct was revealed to the world, with over 80 women coming forward to accuse the producer of sexual harassment, assault, and rape.

While Clarkson's experience was nowhere near as harrowing as that of many other women, she acknowledged the trauma of the encounter, which is why she rarely speaks about it.

"This was patter to me, what I went through with Harvey. It was still difficult and terrible what he did to me, but compared to so many women who went through so much more, it was odd to talk about it," she said, as quoted by Deadline.

Patricia Clarkson's career trajectory took an interesting turn when she portrayed New York Times editor Rebecca Corbett in the 2022 film 'She Said', a drama based on the investigation that uncovered Weinstein's decades of abuse.

The actress admitted that her own experiences with the producer were a motivating factor in taking the role.

"Of course it was a motivation," she said, acknowledging that her past with Weinstein fueled her decision to portray Corbett in the film. Clarkson's role was a crucial part of the investigation that eventually brought Weinstein's actions to light.

In 2020, Weinstein was convicted of criminal sexual assault and rape in New York, receiving a sentence of 23 years in prison.

However, his convictions were overturned in 2022 due to "egregious errors" made by the judge, and a retrial began in April 2023.

Weinstein is currently incarcerated at Rikers Island.

Reader Comments

R

Rajesh K.

It's shocking how powerful men like Weinstein thought they could control careers with threats. Clarkson showed real guts standing her ground. In Bollywood too, we need more actors who speak truth to power. Respect! 🙌

P

Priya M.

This makes me wonder how many talented actors' careers were destroyed by such bullying. Hollywood's dark side is being exposed, but what about our Indian film industry? We rarely hear such stories coming out, but they must exist.

A

Arjun S.

Clarkson's integrity is admirable. Choosing principle over Oscar glory takes courage. Though I wish she had spoken up earlier - maybe more women could have been spared. But better late than never.

S

Sunita R.

The fact that Weinstein's convictions were overturned shows how broken the system is. Powerful people always find loopholes. Hope justice prevails in the retrial. Meanwhile, kudos to Clarkson for her role in 'She Said' - art imitating life in the best way possible.

V

Vikram J.

While this is an important story, I wish Indian media would focus more on our own entertainment industry issues. We have our share of casting couch stories and power abuse, but they rarely get this kind of attention. When will our actresses feel safe to speak up?

N

Neha P.

The category fraud issue she mentions is so real! In India too, we see big stars getting nominated in supporting categories when they're clearly leads, just to increase their chances. Awards should be about merit, not politics. Clarkson was right to take a stand.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.