Acclaimed director Sir Ridley Scott said that he hasn't ruled out a comeback for disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein. A round of accusations of sexual harassment in 2017 saw Weinstein fired from his own production firm, The Weinstein Company. This kicked off an avalanche of similar charges, with the likes of host Ryan Seacrest, writer Max Landis and actor Dustin Hoffman accused of habitual sexual harassment by female colleagues.
“Never say never," Scott said to The Press Association. “I’m sure Harvey will already have a go within a year.” Scott also speculated philosophically on the nature of sin and the possibility of redemption.
“What’s this thing about forgiveness? Do we ever talk about forgiveness? Or is forgiveness now out of that question? I don’t know... Do you learn what is unforgivable, when a guy can rape and kill and get out after five years? I don’t understand the law at that level.”
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Scott's declaration came during an interview with The Irish Examiner. The focus of the interview was on Scott's upcoming film, All The Money In The World, but the director also commented upon the recent round of sexual harassment cases coming to light throughout the entertainment industry.
Scott holds a unique perspective on the matter. Kevin Spacey, originally cast in the leading role of All The Money In The World, faced accusations of pedophilia and repeated harassment on both the set of House Of Cards and in his position as the artistic director of the Old Vic theatre in London. Scott elected to sack Spacey and reshot Spacey's scenes with Christopher Plummer - his original choice for the role.
Scott also spoke about the charges pressed against Spacey, noting that he did not hesitate to remove Spacey from the finished film when the allegations came to light. He also confessed to having heard rumors about Spacey's behind the scenes behavior, but that did not stop him from casting him in All The Money In The World.
“I hadn’t even thought about it, frankly,” Scott said. “I knew enough about him over the years, gossip and things... It’s his business what he gets up to, it only becomes the business of other people if it involves kids and things like that, then it’s not on. You can always argue a guy can take care of himself but a kid can’t, that’s not right.”
Scott also refused to rule out the possibility of Kevin Spacey making a comeback. It's not impossible to see his point that the recent allegations may be a temporary setback. Mel Gibson, once a Hollywood pariah following a 2006 traffic stop which saw the intoxicated actor/director hurling anti-Semitic slurs at a Jewish police officer, recently mounted a comeback of sorts playing a major role in the family comedy Daddy's Home 2.
On the other hand, Gibson's actions, while undoubtedly controversial, did not equal the level of the allegations leveled against Weinstein and Spacey. The only certainty in all of this is that Hollywood will not clean-up its act until more directors and producers like Sir Ridley Scott use their power to black-list serial harassers.
Related:More: 22 Hollywood Stars Who Have Reported Harassment
Source: Irish Examiner
