Hanks and Gosling join the list of stars who have spoken out against the former studio exec, as Weinstein's contract with TWC that allowed for sexual harassment is revealed.
- Oct 13, 2017
AceShowbiz - Tom Hanks and Ryan Gosling have spoken out against Harvey Weinstein. Hanks, who never worked with the disgraced movie mogul, comments on the sexual harassment allegations against the Miramax co-founder in an interview with New York Times.
"I've never worked with Harvey," Hanks says, after a long pause. "But, aah, it all just sort of fits, doesn't it?" When asked why Hollywood helped shelter him despite knowing of his inappropriate behaviors, the actor says, "Well, that's a really good question and isn't it part and parcel to all of society somehow, that people in power get away with this?"
He continues, "Look, I don't want to rag on Harvey but so obviously something went down there. You can't buy, 'Oh, well, I grew up in the '60s and '70s and so therefore. ...' I did, too. So I think it's like, well, what do you want from this position of power? I know all kinds of people that just love hitting on, or making the lives of underlings some degree of miserable, because they can."
The Oscar-winning actor goes on quoting, "Somebody great said this, either Winston Churchill, Immanuel Kant or Oprah: 'When you become rich and powerful, you become more of what you already are.' "
"So I would say, there's an example of how that's true," he adds. "Just because you're rich and famous and powerful doesn't mean you aren't in some ways a big fat a**. Excuse me, take away 'fat.' But I'm not, you know, I'm not the first person to say Harvey's a bit of an a**. Poor Harvey - I'm not going to say poor Harvey, Jesus. Isn't it kind of amazing that it took this long? I'm reading it and I'm thinking 'You can't do that to Ashley Judd! Hey, I like her. Don't do that. That ain't fair. Not her, come on. Come on!' "
Gosling, meanwhile, takes to Twitter to voice his support for the victims. He writes, "I want to add my voice of support for the women who have had the courage to speak out against Harvey Weinstein. Like most people in Hollywood, I have worked with him and I'm deeply disappointed in myself for being so oblivious to these devastating experiences of sexual harassment and abuse. He is emblematic of a systemic problem. Men should stand with women and work together until there is real accountability and change."
— Ryan Gosling (@RyanGosling) October 12, 2017
Weinstein has since been fired from The Weinstein Company after New York Times exposed "Decades of Sexual Harassment Accusations Against Harvey Weinstein." But Weinstein's contract with the company suggests that he may have been illegally fired.
TMZ reports that Weinstein's 2015 employment contract states that "if he gets sued for sexual harassment or any other 'misconduct' that results in a settlement or judgment against TWC, all Weinstein has to do is pay what the company's out, along with a fine, and he's in the clear."
According to the contract, if Weinstein "treated someone improperly in violation of the company's Code of Conduct," he must reimburse TWC for settlements or judgments. Additionally, Weinstein must "pay the company liquidated damages of $250,000 for the first such instance, $500,000 for the second such instance, $750,000 for the third such instance, and $1,000,000 for each additional instance."
The contract says as long as Weinstein pays, it constitutes a "cure" for the misconduct and no further action can be taken. The contract also says that Weinstein can be fired if he commits fraud by not fully informing the Board of Directors, but he has a right to mediation and if that doesn't work, he's entitled to arbitration beforehand, which he got neither.
