Mira Sorvino is reflecting on the lasting impact of Harvey Weinstein on her career, years after first speaking out about the disgraced film producer. The Oscar-winning actress was one of the women who shared their experiences in Ronan Farrow’s New Yorker article in 2017, which exposed decades of Weinstein’s sexual misconduct.
The Actress Rejected The Producer Thrice
In Sophia Bush’s podcast, “Work in Progress,” Sorvino reflected on what her Hollywood career would have been like if it weren’t for Weinstein’s meddling. As the actress told Bush, she didn’t work on a studio movie for two decades after rejecting Weinstein’s sexual advances for the third time.
“I was blacklisted for 20 years,” Sorvino stated. In 1996, Sorvino won a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for her role as Linda Ash in the Woody Allen movie “Mighty Aphrodite.” She also starred in the sci-fi/horror movie “Mimic” and the comedy “Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion,” both released in 1997. However, her movie project offers dried up soon afterward.
“That really broke my heart because it felt like there was this dark hand of malice that had come into my life and stolen something that was rightfully mine away from me, just for me not wanting to sleep with this disgusting man, this disgusting human being, this evil, evil, evil predator,” Sorvino said.
Mira Sorvino Detailed Her Interactions With Harvey Weinstein
In the New Yorker article by Ronan Farrow titled “From Aggressive Overtures to Sexual Assault: Harvey Weinstein’s Accusers Tell Their Stories,” published in October 2017, Sorvino shared her experiences with Weinstein, which began in 1995.
Weinstein produced Sorvino’s movie “Mighty Aphrodite,” and while in a hotel room, the actress said Weinstein massaged her shoulders and tried to “get more physical” with her. She felt uncomfortable and told him that it was against her religion to be with a married man before scrambling out of the room.
Weeks later, she got a call from the producer asking for a meeting to discuss marketing for the movie. Sorvino suggested meeting at a diner, but Weinstein insisted on going to her apartment. She immediately asked a friend to come over and pretend to be her boyfriend. When Weinstein got there, she told him that her boyfriend was on his way, and the producer left.
As Sorvino told Bush, she rejected the producer for a third time, but it slipped her mind while speaking to Farrow.
Peter Jackson Confirmed Mira Sorvino Was Blacklisted
Months after Farrow’s article was published, “Lord of the Rings” director Peter Jackson came out and said Weinstein and his brother Bob, whom he described as “second-rate Mafia bullies,” indeed blacklisted Mira Sorvino and fellow actress Ashley Judd, who also accused Weinstein of sexual harassment.
During the pitching stages of LOTR, Jackson told Weinstein that he was interested in casting the two actresses, but was told that they were “a nightmare to work with” and should be avoided “at all costs.” “I now suspect we were fed false information about both of these talented women – and as a direct result their names were removed from our casting list,” Jackson revealed to Stuff.
Miramax, co-founded by the Weinstein brothers, initially developed LOTR. However, Jackson didn’t like the way the brothers handled the project and no longer wanted to work with them. New Line Cinema took over as producers of the film. “Movie making is much more fun when you work with nice people,” the director said.
Mira Sorvino’s Father Was Outraged
Sorvino’s father, actor Paul Sorvino, was livid when he found out about the producer’s behavior toward his daughter. In 2018, months after the accusations became public, Sorvino told TMZ that he was furious. “If I had known it, he would not be walking. He’d be in a wheelchair,” the actor said.
He went on to say that he hopes Weinstein goes to jail because if he comes across him, the producer would be “lying on the floor, somehow, magically,” he stated. “He’s going to jail. Oh yeah. That son of a b-tch. Good for him if he goes, because if not, he has to meet me. And I will kill the motherf-cker. Real simple,” Paul explained.
Harvey Weinstein Called Peter Jackson A Liar
In an interview with Weinstein from Rikers Island published by The Hollywood Reporter on March 10, the disgraced producer called Jackson a liar, referring to the director’s statement about him blacklisting Judd and Sorvino. He called Jackson “the worst,” adding, “It’s a complete f-cking lie. If he says it again, I’ll sue him too.”
In regard to the sexual assault accusations against him, Weinstein said he was guilty of cheating on his wife, but he didn’t consider the things he did as sexual assault, adding, “There were some women who knew exactly what was expected… not all of them were as naive as they liked to pretend.”
Weinstein, who is 73, is serving a 16-year sentence for a rape and sexual assault conviction in 2022.
