Meryl Streep has taken a firm stance against Hollywood movie mogul Harvey Weinstein in wake of the explosive report that revealed almost three decades of sexual harassment against multiple women. But Streep made one point very clear after Hollywood has been under scrutiny for it's deafening silence since Friday's NYT's expose: Not everyone in the industry was aware of his behavior.
"One thing can be clarified. Not everybody knew," Streep said in a scathing statement released to Huffington Post on Monday after Weinstein's ousting from the studio he co-founded on Sunday.
Streep, who has starred in Weinstein productions including "August: Osage County" and "The Iron Lady," also said:
"Harvey supported the work fiercely, was exasperating but respectful with me in our working relationship, and with many others with whom he worked professionally. I didn't know about these other offenses: I did not know about his financial settlements with actresses and colleagues; I did not know about his having meetings in his hotel room, his bathroom, or other inappropriate, coercive acts. And If everybody knew, I don't believe that all the investigative reporters in the entertainment and the hard news media would have neglected for decades to write about it."
"The disgraceful news about Harvey Weinstein has appalled those of us whose work he championed, and those whose good and worthy causes he supported. The intrepid women who raised their voices to expose this abuse are our heroes," she said.
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View Story"The behavior is inexcusable, but the abuse of power familiar. Each brave voice that is raised, heard and credited by our watchdog media will ultimately change the game," she added.
The Weinstein Company fired Weinstein on Sunday. "In light of new information about misconduct by Harvey Weinstein that has emerged in the past few days, the directors of The Weinstein Company – Robert Weinstein, Lance Maerov, Richard Koenigsberg and Tarak Ben Ammar – have determined, and have informed Harvey Weinstein, that his employment with The Weinstein Company is terminated, effective immediately," the company said in a statement.