American music artist Madonna is the latest addition to the list of women who have come out against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein’s predatory behavior. In an interview with The New York Times, Madonna opened up about how Harvey Weinstein had “crossed lines and boundaries” with her.
She described his behavior as “incredibly sexually flirtatious” and “forward” when the two were working together. Madonna said that, “he was married at the time, and I certainly wasn’t interested.”
Here’s what she told The New York Times:
“I was aware that he did the same with a lot of other women that I knew in the business. And we were all, ‘Harvey gets to do that because he’s got so much power and he’s so successful and his movies do so well and everybody wants to work with him, so you have to put up with it.’Madonna, Singer
Madonna worked with Harvey Weinstein in 1991, when his company Miramax was involved in the distribution of Madonna’s 1991 documentary Truth of Dare. She also revealed that she was aware of his abusive behavior at the time but the industry norm was to simply put up with it because of how powerful he was.
Madonna also mentioned that she was relieved to hear women raise their voices against the Hollywood biggie. “So when it happened, I was really like, ‘Finally.’”
She felt that “it was good that somebody who had been abusing his power for so many years was called out and held accountable.”
In 2017, Harvey Weinstein was accused of rape and sexual assault by a many women in the industry. The Harvey Weinstein reportage by New York Times kicked off Hollywood’s #TimesUp movement. Since then, Harvey has denied all accusations against him. He is currently facing criminal charges surrounding the allegations against him by several women.
Madonna’s 14th album called Madame X will release on 14 June.
(With inputs from New York Times)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)