Back in 2005, singer-songwriter Courtney Love offered up some now chilling words of wisdom on a red carpet.
After comedian Natasha Leggero asked if Love could offer any advice to young girls moving to Hollywood, Love hesitated. “I’ll get libelled if I say it,” she said. “If Harvey Weinstein invites you to a private party at the Four Seasons, don’t go.”
In hindsight, it was a sobering moment for such a lighthearted event, the Pamela Anderson Comedy Central Roast. The clip resurfaced online recently and has since gone viral in light of the numerous allegations (and seemingly endless recollections) against Weinstein.
It’s also worth emphasising that Love, a woman with a reputation for being unafraid to duke it out with the status quo, hesitated to do what she’s known for.
.@Courtney Love's advice in 2005: "If Harvey Weinstein invites you to a party at the Four Seasons, don't go." pic.twitter.com/I1Zq0WvVNM
— HannahJane Parkinson (@ladyhaja) October 14, 2017
While it’s unclear if Love was technically “libelled,” she claims she was blacklisted by the Creative Arts Agency. “Although I wasn't one of his victims, I was eternally banned by CAA for speaking out against #HarveyWeinstein #rape,” she tweeted.
Although I wasn't one of his victims, I was eternally banned by CAA for speaking out against #HarveyWeinstein #rape https://t.co/8giwNkrC5t
— Courtney Love Cobain (@Courtney) October 14, 2017
The message also included the link to a TMZ story, discussing the 2005 snippet and along with a grainy video of her and actress Jessica Chastain with Weinstein at an event in 2012.
Love joins numerous celebrities who’ve discussed the "open secret " — Weinstein's alleged blatant sexual harassment — that has run rampant in Hollywood for decades, yet was widely accepted as the norm.
Though in 2017 we know that an “open secret” is just another, more elaborate way to say normalisation. The most alarming layer of the Weinstein allegations is how widely they were known and openly discussed and in some cases joked about, not only between women, but on large stages in front of you, me and the entire Motion Picture Academy.
On Saturday, Weinstein was expelled by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
If you have experienced sexual violence and are in need of crisis support, please call Rape Crisis on 0808 802 9999.
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