George Clooney: There's no Hollywood witch hunt, only assaults

George Clooney and his wife Amal Clooney. The star today dismissed a statement by Woody Allen that there is a 'witch hunt' in Hollywood
Getty
David Gardner23 October 2017
The Weekender

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George Clooney today hit out at claims of a Hollywood “witch hunt” against Harvey Weinstein and said the scandal should be a “watershed” moment for society.

The 56-year-old star spoke out after Oscar-winner Woody Allen said he hoped the sex scandal would not lead “to a witch hunt atmosphere.”

Calling the remark “a stupid thing to say,” Clooney insisted: “The reality is, it’s not a witch hunt to these women who were trapped in a hotel room and told they were going to get a part and then suddenly out comes Harvey Weinstein in his birthday suit.

"That’s not a witch hunt, that’s an assault.”

More than 40 women have come forward with sex abuse claims against the studio mogul.

Oscar-winner Woody Allen said he hoped the sex scandal wouldn’t lead ‘to a witch hunt atmosphere.’
Kevin Winter/Getty

The Ocean’s Eleven actor was speaking after being photographed with wife Amal at the Los Angeles premiere of the new film he has directed, Suburbicon, which stars Matt Damon and Julianne Moore.

“I think the teachable moment isn’t just with this industry,” he added. “If anything, what we hope is that this is a watershed moment for us as a society where women feel safe enough to talk about this issue, feel believed.”

Clooney, who has been outspoken in his criticism of Weinstein, said he hopes there will soon come a time “where men who are committing these crimes, these violations don’t feel safe, and feel as if they do these things, they are going to be outed, they’re going to be sued, they may even get litigated, maybe even go to jail for it.”

Matt Damon, at the same red carpet event, said he also hoped for a “massive, systemic change” in the entertainment industry.

Damon’s Suburbicon co-star Julianne Moore added her voice to the debate. “What you want to do is find a way to talk about it without being salacious. That’s not what this is about. These are criminal acts,” she said.

The stars spoke out after Hollywood was rocked by a slew of new sexual harrassment allegations against Oscar-nominated screenwriter and director James Toback.

The Los Angeles Times claimed to have interviewed numerous women who said they had sexual encounters with the 72-year-old.

The women claimed the incidents happened “in a hotel room, a movie trailer, a public park, meetings framed as interviews or auditions quickly turned sexual”.

Toback, who was nominated for an Oscar in 1992 as the screenwriter of ‘Bugsy’ starring Warren Beatty, denied the allegations, telling the paper he had not met any of the women, and claimed it was “biologically impossible” for him to commit the behaviour the women described because he had diabetes and a heart condition requiring medication.

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