Actress Jennifer Lawrence at the 90th Annual Academy Awards in March 2018. Photo: AFP
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https://scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2178154/i-slept-jennifer-lawrence-and-look-where-she United States & Canada
‘I slept with Jennifer Lawrence and look where she is?’ Weinstein berated woman who rebuffed advances, claims new lawsuit
- Woman claims former film producer burst in on her twice while she was in the bathroom, groped her and exposed himself
Harvey Weinstein leaving New York Criminal Court following his arraignment in New York on June 5, 2018. Photo: TNS
A new lawsuit claims Harvey Weinstein sexually assaulted an aspiring actress during the Sundance Film Festival in 2013 and later bragged about sleeping with actress Jennifer Lawrence.
“Do you even want to be an actress?” Weinstein asked the woman – identified in court papers as Jane Doe – as he complained about how “difficult” and “stupid” she was being, her lawsuit alleges.
“I slept with Jennifer Lawrence and look where she is. She has just won an Oscar,” Weinstein allegedly said.
Lawrence has said she was not “victimised personally” by Weinstein but wanted to “kill him” when she heard the claim from dozens of other women.
The lawsuit, filed on Friday in Los Angeles, accuses the producer and his former studio, The Weinstein Company, of assault, sexual battery, retaliation, discrimination and gender violence.
The woman claims she first met Weinstein at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2013 and visited him in his hotel suite to discuss a film role.
According to the complaint, the woman went to the bathroom about two hours into the meeting and was “immobilised” with “embarrassment” when Weinstein barged in while she was sitting on the toilet.
“Weinstein unbuttoned his jeans, dropped his pants to the floor ... while telling her, ‘I like looking at you,’” papers obtained by the New York Daily News state.
The plaintiff says she rebuffed Weinstein’s advances.
Weinstein allegedly told the woman to stay friends if she wanted a film career, the lawsuit states.
The woman says she reported details of the incident to her agent and was warned not to upset the powerful industry gatekeeper.
The next day, Weinstein invited the woman to a restaurant, and she went “despite her fear” due to the harm Weinstein could inflict on her career if she upset him, the lawsuit states.
She says later at the festival, Weinstein followed her to yet another bathroom, “grabbed her tight” and thrust her hand onto his penis.
The aspiring actress claims that back in New York, Weinstein invited her to more meetings with the promise of potential work.
“Weinstein persisted and told her that he was in love with her. Sometimes Weinstein would get irritated and angered by her rejections [and] repeatedly remind her that if they were no longer ‘friends’, he would harm or destroy her career,” the lawsuit claims.
Weinstein entering the State Supreme Court in New York on October 11, 2018. Photo: AP
She says after a dinner at Tribeca Grill to discuss a role in the film Vampire Academy, Weinstein lured her to his office with the promise of giving her a script then ambushed her.
The woman claims Weinstein began groping her, pushed her down and performed oral sex on her against her wishes as she was “audibly sobbing”.
That is when Weinstein brought up having slept with Lawrence, the suit says.
Weinstein, 66, has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges in Manhattan related to alleged assaults on other women.
He is also under criminal investigation after women reported incidents to authorities in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills.