Rowena Chiu says she was left devastated when Weinstein's superiors didn't take her report seriously after she managed to escape from his sexual assault.
- Apr 9, 2020
AceShowbiz - Harvey Weinstein's former assistant is to share her story of abuse at the hands of the disgraced movie mogul in a forthcoming documentary series.
It took Rowena Chiu, 45, decades to come to terms with the trauma of working with the former Miramax boss, after he allegedly tried to rape her in 1998 during a late-night meeting at the Venice Film Festival.
The series, "Harvey Weinstein: ID Breaking Now", will feature interviews from Chiu and other Weinstein accusers, including actress Rosanna Arquette and Italian model Ambra Battilana Gutierrez.
Chiu opened up on the abuse publicly last year 2019 in the book "She Said", penned by the New York Times journalists Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey - who were the first to shine light on multiple sexual harassment and assault allegations against the producer.
Chiu said Weinstein pushed her against a bed and tried to force himself on her but, after escaping, her attempts to report Weinstein to his superiors weren't taken seriously. They later hired lawyers, reached a $426,000 settlement and signed non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), forbidding them from discussing the attack.
"It was a very difficult number of years after signing the NDA, the business of not speaking is a huge burden to bear," she said, reported the New York Post's gossip column Page Six. "I attempted to commit suicide twice three years after signing the agreement. It was an incredible struggle and eventually, I rebuilt my life."
Chiu left the film industry and is now a stay-at-home mum of four, but she hopes the documentary will help keep the spotlight on the #MeToo movement.
"It took a long time, an entire movement for some survivors to have the courage to come out," she added. "I would hope that when the world finally gets back to business after coronavirus some of that momentum will continue."
Weinstein was sentenced to serve 23 years behind bars for rape and sexual assault last month, March 2020. The first instalment of "Harvey Weinstein: ID Breaking Now" will air on the Investigation Discovery network on Sunday, April 12.
