Cate Blanchett Says Harvey Weinstein Sexually Harassed Her, Too

Like dozens of other women in the film industry, Cate Blanchett has some Harvey Weinstein stories of her own. When asked by Variety if the disgraced mogul had ever sexually harassed or behaved inappropriately toward her, the Oscar-winning actress was quick to say “yes.”

“I think he really primarily preyed, like most predators, on the vulnerable,” Blanchett said. “I mean, I got a bad feeling from him. . . . He would often say to me, Were not friends.”

When asked to elaborate, Blanchett said she “wouldnt do what he was asking me to do,” but declined to give more specific details.

“Im really interested in the people who have transgressed in ways that are beyond the bounds of offensive,” she continued, “what people like Harvey have done, and there are men across many industries [who have done that]. Hes been held up as an exemplar because hes unfortunately typical of certain men. Im interested in those people being prosecuted. We have to set a legal precedent.”

The actress joins the chorus of women who have spoken out against Weinstein since October, accusing him of sexual misconduct. (Through a spokesperson, Weinstein has denied all claims of nonconsensual acts.) Blanchett is also just one of many high-profile stars who have accused Weinstein of inappropriate behavior, joining the ranks of Lupita Nyongo,Angelina Jolie,Gwyneth Paltrow,Ashley Judd,Rose McGowan, and more. On Tuesday, Judd took her crusade against Weinstein a step further, filing a defamation and sexual harassment lawsuit against him, and claiming that he damaged her career after she rejected his sexual advances. A spokesperson for Weinstein said that the disgraced producer “neither defamed Ms. Judd nor ever interfered with Ms. Judds career,” but rather “championed” her career.

But thats just one of several pending lawsuits facing Weinstein. Hes also being investigated by the L.A.P.D., the N.Y.P.D., the B.H.P.D., and Scotland Yard in several cases related to his alleged sexual misconduct. Blanchett, for one, hopes that he eventually goes to jail.

“Statutory rape is a crime, the last time I looked,” she added. “I think its really important that people get tried through the judicial system. Its a really important arm of democracy that we must uphold because its under threat from a lot of different quarters.”

On that note, Blanchett also shared her current thoughts on Woody Allen, whose estranged daughter Dylan Farrow has accused of sexually assaulting her as a child (Allen has repeatedly denied the claims). Blanchett worked with the filmmaker on the 2013 film Blue Jasmine, which earned her a second Oscar.

“Obviously, Dylan Farrow has been living in a world of pain, and if the case has not been properly tried, then it needs to be reopened and go back into court because thats a place where those things get solved,” Blanchett said. Though she had a “very productive” time working with Allen and appreciated the roles he has written for women in his films, Blanchett said she knew nothing of the allegations at the time that she worked with him. She also said that she preferred to keep the attention off of her relationship with Allen. (The actress has faced criticism for her association with Allen in the past, including from Farrow herself. When asked in March to comment on the Allen controversy, Blanchett said she is a “believer in the justice system” and thinks it should be up to a court to re-examine the case, adding that social media cannot be “the judge and jury” of this particular case.)

“Far more important than me adding to yet another headline . . . and finger-pointing is, if that issue has not been dealt with . . . I am absolutely for it to go back into the courts, because there lies the solution,” Blanchett said. Though Allen is not facing the same legal hurricane as Weinstein at the moment, his cachet has started dwindling in Hollywood, with stars like Natalie Portman,Michael Caine, and Greta Gerwig all saying they would no longer work with him.

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Yohana DestaYohana Desta is a Hollywood writer for VanityFair.com.