Mira Sorvino speaks out about Harvey Weinstein for first time since he was indicted: 'He's raped many people that I love'

The actress tears up during interview when she sees the alleged victims' faces

Ilana Kaplan
Wednesday 06 June 2018 22:31 BST
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Mira Sorvino tears up talking about Harvey Weinsteins victims

Actress Mira Sorvino opened up about Harvey Weinstein and his accusers in her first TV interview since his indictment saying that "he's raped many people that I love."

Sorvino - who accused the disgraced producer of sexual harassment and derailing her career throughout the years - discussed her feelings about seeing him face charges for his actions on the Today show.

"It feels like a really good first step, you know?" she told host Savannah Guthrie. "It's him finally facing real, real criminal consequences for his criminal behaviour. And so for that, I feel gratified. But honestly, last weekend was a very emotional one, and I cried many times, because just seeing him brings up a lot of bad feelings."

She continued: "He's raped many people that I love, so it's not really a happy occasion. I think maybe there will be some celebration when he gets convicted and goes to jail. That's when the process will be complete and we will see justice really being served. But until then, this is a great first step."

Sorvino revealed that despite the public not knowing about her alleged encounter with Weinstein, she had been telling people in her life about it for years.

"The funny thing is: At the time it happened, I told everyone I knew, and a lot of people will tell you that," she explained. "All these people wrote to me online: 'I remember you telling me that.' Quentin Tarantino corroborated that I had told him about it right away that September; he said it in the New York Times article."

Despite her discussing the alleged situation, she wasn't encouraged to come forward about what had happened to her.

She continued, "No one said, 'Hey, this is sexual harassment. You should go to the authorities. You have a case. You should go to the police. Maybe it's assault.' Instead people were "comforting" her.

"I didn't really understand the law and I didn't think I was important enough to make a big deal over, so I just kind of tried to put it to the side, keep working and go on about my life," she admitted. "I think a lot of people felt that way."

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The 50-year-old actress said none of the alleged victims "compared notes" and that she "only knew of one other person" - who she later revealed as Sophie Dix - that had experienced the alleged abuse at the hands of Weinstein.

She then stopped mid-sentence while talking to Guthrie and began tearing up when she saw Weinstein's alleged​ victims on a screen behind her.

Sorvino said, "Oh, boy. That's crazy. I'm sorry."

Guthrie later brought up Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson who last year claimed that Miramax made him blacklist Sorvino and other actresses including Ashley Judd.

Weinstein subsequently denied the blacklist accusations.

"I didn't even know what I suspected," she said. "I just knew that my career had kind of slumped. I thought, 'Well, maybe it's my fault. Maybe I've had too many children. I've been pregnant too many times.' You know, sometimes you have bad luck. I was like, 'OK, maybe it wasn't meant to be that my career was going to continue at the same level that it had been.'"

But once Jackson tweeted that he was forced to blacklist her, she knew "it was really this malevolent hand that changed the course of my life."

Weinstein's attorney Ben Brafman responded to Sorvino's comments made during her latest interview saying, "Mr. Weinstein was kind to hire Ms. Sorvino’s husband when she asked him to do so, and that is what makes it even more outrageous for Ms. Sorvino to claim that Mr. Weinstein 'has raped many people' that she loves. If she knows of something specifically, she should report it to the authorities. It is outrageous how anyone can make any baseless allegation against Mr. Weinstein and it gets coverage as if it were proven fact."

Since his indictment, Weinstein has pled not guilty to charges of rape in the first and third degrees and of a criminal sexual act in the first degree.

In the past, he has denied all claims of non-consensual sex.

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