An actress famous for her role on a television series infamous for its ability to render powerful women powerless has shared her own story of being victimised in Hollywood.
Lena Headey, star of HBO’s Game of Thrones, became the latest actress to allege that disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein sexually harassed her in a series of tweets Tuesday morning.
The Emmy-nominated actress recalled first meeting Weinstein at the Venice Film Festival in 2005, where her film The Brothers Grimm — distributed by Miramax — was showing.
“At one point Harvey asked me to take a walk down to the water, I walked down with him and he stopped and made some suggestive comment, a gesture,” Headey said in her tweets, mentioning that she was sure it was all a joke.
“It’d be like kissing my dad!!” Headey said she told Weinstein, before suggesting they return to the others in their group. “I was never in any other Miramax films.”
But that was not Headey’s only encounter with Weinstein. Years later, she agreed to meet him in Los Angeles, certain that he wouldn’t bother propositioning her because of her harsh refusal in Venice.
After a discussion of films and filmmaking over breakfast, Weinstein then invited Headey back to his room, according to the actress’ account, where he wanted to give her a script.
But on the way to the elevator, the mood changed.
“My whole body went into high alert,” Headey said, “And I said to Harvey, I’m not interested in anything other that work, please don’t think I got in here with you for any other reason.”
After Headey established her position, she said that he was silent and furious. When the key card for his hotel room didn’t work, Headey said that he marched her through the hotel and deposited her at the valet, warning her not to tell anyone what happened.
“‘Don’t tell anyone about this, not your manager, not your agent’,” Headey recalled Weinstein telling her. “I got into my car and I cried.”
Dozens of women have come forward in recent weeks to allege misconduct by Weinstein, ranging from harassment to rape.
