Film producer Jeffrey Katzenberg speaks at The Wall Street Journal's three-day D.Live technology conference in Laguna Beach, California, October 16, 2017. (AFP/Glenn CHAPMAN)
LAGUNA BEACH, California — Hollywood titan Jeffrey Katzenberg branded fallen movie mogul Harvey Weinstein “a monster” who was far from alone in sexually preying on actresses.
“Make no mistake about it, he is a monster,” Katzenberg said of Weinstein during an on-stage interview late Monday at the Wall Street Journal D.Live conference in Laguna Beach, California.
“The problem is there is a pack of wolves; he is not a lone actor in this. That is what we really need to find a way to deal with.”
More than two dozen actresses including marquee stars like Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie and Mira Sorvino have come forward saying they were sexually harassed by the producer.
Since the allegations emerged this month, Hollywood has largely turned its back on Weinstein.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Editionby email and never miss our top stories
This combination of pictures shows US producer Harvey Weinstein and (1st row from L) US actress Rose McGowan, US actress Angelina Jolie, Italian actress Asia Argento, US actress Gwyneth Paltrow, US actress Ashley Judd; (2nd row fromL) French actress Lea Seydoux, US actress Mira Sorvino, US actress Rosanna Arquette, US actress Louisette Geiss, British actress Kate Beckinsale; (3rd row fromL) Television reporter Lauren Sivan, US actress Jessica Barth, US producer Elizabeth Karlsen, French actress Emma De Caunes, and French actress Judith Godreche (AFP PHOTO / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA AND AFP PHOTO / STAFF)
“I am a hundred percent certain Harvey Weinstein was not alone in this,” said Katzenberg, who was chairman of Walt Disney Studios for a decade until 1994. He was even Weinstein’s boss for a while after Disney bought the Weinstein brothers’ Miramax production company in 1993.
Katzenberg said he did “a lot of soul-searching” regarding how he could have missed any clues that Weinstein was abused his position when it came to actresses getting roles in films.
“There are two Harveys,” Katzenberg said.
Advertisement
“Somehow or other, this behavior was masked from me by him.”
He lauded the courage of women who have spoken out, and said that “anyone in a leadership position in Hollywood today” is thinking about how to address the problem the situation has spotlighted.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
