Oscar winner Gwyneth Paltrow was reluctant to share her Harvey Weinstein story at first, but she’s now boldly speaking out about the mogul who launched her career and her role in helping take him down.
“The Politician” star has been back in the news because of that Netflix drama but also because of her involvement in breaking the scandal wide open, which is documented in New York Times reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey’s new book, “She Said.”
The reporters credit the A-list actress with facilitating their reporting and connecting them with women who had been hesitant about discussing their uncomfortable experiences with the mega-producer.
Paltrow, who did not appear in the initial story that catalyzed Weinstein’s downfall, said she was “really scared” about coming forward in those early stages.
“I think society had shown us only basically examples where women coming forward ended up not being advantageous for the woman. But I really felt like it was time,” Paltrow said on NBC’s “Today” show Thursday.
The “Shakespeare in Love” star has alleged that when she was 22, Weinstein summoned her to his hotel suite, placed his hands on her and suggested they go to the bedroom for massages. She also said her then-boyfriend Brad Pitt later confronted the producer about the alleged interaction. Weinstein has denied all of his accusers’ allegations of nonconsensual sex.
“I think also having a teenage daughter that’s the love of my life and worrying about her going into the workplace and feeling like if there was ever a chance that there could be a cultural shift on this stuff I wanted to participate in (it),” Paltrow added, further explaining why she later took a more prominent stand on the issue.
“I never could have imagined that collectively a shift this seismic would happen, but I feel proud that I have a small part in it.”
In “She Said,” the Goop founder is part of a narrative in which she hosted an event for high-profile survivors who had come forward about their sexual assaults.
She’s also part of a surreal story in the book that involved Weinstein also coming to her home and her frantically hiding in the bathroom to speak with the reporters.
Paltrow’s connections to the producer and in Hollywood led to Kantor and Twohey recently calling her an unexpected hero for advancing their Pulitzer Prize-winning reporting.
