Hollywood veteran Sam Elliott praised the fifty-plus women who have come forward to accuse disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment and assault, describing the mushrooming scandal as “the best thing that’s happened to Hollywood in a long time.”
Elliot said, Variety reports, that the women who have spoken out against Weinstein, embattled filmmaker James Toback, writer-director David O. Russell, and many others, have shown a “strength” that will forever change, for the better, the relationship between men and women in Hollywood.
“How can it not [be]?” he said. “Once you’ve given that kind of strength that this unveiling has given to a given population — the women of the world — how can you take it back?.”
The Hero star made his comments during the Variety Screening Series presented by FilmStruck.
The Big Lebowski actor also expressed deep disappointment with how “women in this town have been put upon by the men in this business the way they have for so long.”
“That’s not to say it’s not a two-way street for some. There’s a lot of girls who get into this game, and they’ll do anything to survive and thrive, but there’s also a bunch of innocents that come to town that are just f**king ground up by it,” the 73-year-old star said.
Elliot’s comments come as more actors, models, singers, and entertainers continue to reveal details about being abused or sexually harassed. Earlier this month, a New York Times exposé revealed that Harvey Weinstein had reached financial settlements with at least eight different women due to sexual harassment claims that had been made over a period of decades.
Follow Jerome Hudson on Twitter @jeromeehudson
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