Actress Accuses Amazon Studios of Knowing About Weinstein Behavior

In the wake of the earliest Weinstein revelations, actress Rose McGowan has become the most outspoken victim of all. The “Scream” actress was one of eight women Harvey Weinstein apparently paid off to keep quiet about sexual harassment and/or assault complaints against him. The New York Times reported that Weinstein paid McGowan a $100,000 settlement in 1997 after “an episode in a hotel room during the Sundance Film Festival.”

After she alleged that actor and former Weinstein employee Ben Affleck knew about the abuse she suffered at the hands of Weinstein, McGowan saw her Twitter account temporarily suspended.

The “Justice League” actor put out a public statement condemning his former boss, but McGowan then tweeted: “‘GOD****it! I told him to stop doing that’ you said that to my face. The press [conference] I was made to go to after assault. You lie.”

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She later told the actor to “f*** off.” The two starred together in the 2008 film, “Phantom,” which was produced by Weinstein’s Miramax studio.

A representative for Weinstein, whose troubles seem to increase by the day if not the hour, has said the now-disgraced mogul denied allegations of “nonconsensual sex.”

McGowan also used her social media account to call for the firing of the board of directors at The Weinstein Company (implying that they knew about the producer’s payouts to women) — and to say that Michael Eisner, the former CEO of Disney, also knew about Weinstein’s misconduct. Disney bought Miramax in 1993.

After Eisner tweeted he had “no idea [Weinstein] was capable of these actions,” McGowan responded with, “I needed a laugh. Thank you.”

She also revealed through screenshots in later tweets that Harvey Weinstein’s brother and business partner, Bob, asked for a sit-down with her. She refused.

McGowan now has Jeff Bezos, the founder and CEO of Amazon and owner of The Washington Post, in her sights. McGowan alleged on Thursday night that she had told the head of Amazon Studios that she was raped by Harvey Weinstein and that her story was not taken seriously.

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The exact time frame of McGowan’s story is unclear, but she is referring to a partnership between The Weinstein Company and Amazon Studios. There are two television shows currently in development between the studios, both of which have removed Harvey Weinstein’s name. Amazon also said in a statement that the company is reviewing whether to move forward with the programs. McGowan clearly warned Amazon about the partnership ahead of time.

“We are reviewing our options for the projects we have with The Weinstein Co.,” Craig Berman, vice president of communications at Amazon Entertainment, said in a press statement.

The current head of Amazon Studios is Roy Price (likely the person to whom McGowan is referring in her tweets). He is a man who was accused of unwanted sexual remarks aimed at “The Man in High Castle” producer Isa Hackett, according to a report from The Information’s Kim Masters in August of this year.

The report said an investigation was conducted, but the results are unknown.

“I do not wish to discuss the details of this troubling incident with Roy except to say Amazon investigated immediately and with an outside investigator,” Hackett told The Information. “It’s my great privilege and responsibility to oversee adaptations of my father’s work, and I intend to remain focused on doing my very best to give fans thoughtful, faithful and entertaining shows.”

It wasn’t until the Weinstein revelations came to light that Hackett decided to go public officially. On Thursday night, she told The Hollywood Reporter about her incident with Price. After a long day of promotion at San Diego Comic Con in July of 2015, Hackett ended up in a cab with Price; he apparently repeatedly propositioned her and told her, “You will love my d***.” He persisted, even though Hackett turned him down and said she was a lesbian with a wife and children.

“I hope we all continue to inspire each other and ultimately create change.”

Amazon told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement, “We expect people to set high standards for themselves; we encourage people to raise any concerns and we make it a priority to investigate and address them. Accordingly, we looked closely at this specific concern and addressed it directly with those involved.”

Price declined to comment.

Hackett said it was the aftermath of the Weinstein reports and the words of other women who came forward with their experiences that convinced her to go public. “I think women inspire each other. I feel inspired by the other women who have been far braver than I am, who have come forward. I hope we all continue to inspire each other and ultimately create change,” she said.

A spokesperson for Amazon Studios informed The Wrap and Variety Thursday night that Price was “on leave of absence effective immediately.”

With people like McGowan and Hackett now feeling empowered to point fingers and tell the truth as they know it, there are no doubts about many in Hollywood who are sweating and nervous. Tweet on, Rose!