Harvey Weinstein tried to use Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lawrence to defend himself against a handful of his accusers, but it backfired in epic fashion.
After Streep and Lawrence both attacked the disgraced Hollywood honcho for the move, Weinstein apologized for dragging their names into his mess.
Court documents released earlier this week revealed that Weinstein used Streep and Lawrence’s favorable comments about him in the past as an argument that a class-action lawsuit filed against him should be thrown out. When the actresses caught wind of the move, they each fired back at him leading to an apology, Fox News reports.
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In a statement released by one of his spokesman on Thursday, Weinstein said “he acknowledges the valuable input both Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lawrence have contributed to this conversation and apologizes.”
Furthermore he “has advised his counsel to not include specific names of former associates; and to avoid whenever possible, even if they are in the public record.”
Unfortunately for Weinstein the apology will likely do nothing for him. Both Streep and Lawrence have worked with the former studio head for years, but have thrown their full support behind his accusers after his latest move. (RELATED: Meryl Streep And Jennifer Lawrence Make A Stand Against Weinstein)
“Harvey Weinstein’s attorneys’ use of my (true) statement — that he was not sexually transgressive or physically abusive in our business relationship — as evidence that he was not abusive with many OTHER women is pathetic and exploitive,” Streep said in response to being named in the suit.
“The criminal actions he is accused of conducting on the bodies of these women are his responsibility, and if there is any justice left in the system he will pay for them — regardless of how many good movies, made by many good people, Harvey was lucky enough to have acquired or financed,” she added.
(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
“Harvey Weinstein and his company are continuing to do what they have always done, which is to take things out of context and use them for their own benefit. This is what predators do, and it must stop,” Lawrence fired back. “For the record, while I was not victimized personally by Harvey Weinstein, I stand behind the women who have survived his terrible abuse and I applaud them in using all means necessary to bring him to justice whether through criminal or civil actions. Time’s up.”