Actor Julia Stiles recently opened up about her uncomfortable experience working with Harvey Weinstein on the 2000 film Down to You, adding that his unusual demands to make her dance during reshoots made her feel “slimy”.
Julia Stiles recalls feeling ‘slimy’
In a recent interview on the Films To Be Buried with Brett Goldstein podcast with Brett Goldstein, Stiles shared that Weinstein interfered with the project, making unnecessary changes that, in her view, lowered the quality of the film.
"It was a time when teen rom-coms were really popular. The director, Kris Isacsson, wrote the script. He was a first-time director and a very, very intelligent, capable guy. The script was very good. And then, Harvey Weinstein got his hands on it and decided to capitalize on this trend. And it just became dumb," she said.
Stiles recalled that Harvey Weinstein wanted to capitalise on the success of her previous success in films like Save the Last Dance and 10 Things I Hate About You by forcing a dance scene into Down to You.
“They're pouring money at it in stupid ways. So when we went and did reshoots, I was told that he [Weinstein] decided that because of the success of Save the Last Dance or the success of 10 Things I Hate About You, with me dancing on the pool table, he needed to have me dancing in the film. I love to dance, but it was dumb. It was like, ‘Okay, let's get her on a pool table.’ It wasn't even imaginative. And I felt so slimy doing it the whole time. I don't know if that actually made it into the film, but it was annoying because I was like, this is so cheap, and it's not adding to the story,” she added.
Harvey Weinstein reacts
{{/usCountry}}“They're pouring money at it in stupid ways. So when we went and did reshoots, I was told that he [Weinstein] decided that because of the success of Save the Last Dance or the success of 10 Things I Hate About You, with me dancing on the pool table, he needed to have me dancing in the film. I love to dance, but it was dumb. It was like, ‘Okay, let's get her on a pool table.’ It wasn't even imaginative. And I felt so slimy doing it the whole time. I don't know if that actually made it into the film, but it was annoying because I was like, this is so cheap, and it's not adding to the story,” she added.
Harvey Weinstein reacts
{{/usCountry}}In a statement released from prison to the Daily Beast, Weinstein, in response to her comments, defended his actions.
"Julia Stiles is a talented and charismatic actress who naturally connects with audiences. Beyond her acting skills, she's also a fantastic dancer, which was something fans really wanted at the time. I included that scene in Down to You to enhance the film's appeal, and her chemistry with Freddie Prinze Jr. made it work seamlessly," he wrote.
"As a filmmaker, I've always sought ways to elevate a project, and when I see an opportunity to make a film better, I take it. That same instinct led David O Russell and me to cast Julia in Silver Linings Playbook, where she once again delivered a standout performance," he concluded.
Harvey Weinstein was the subject of a host of sexual assault and harassment complaints from industry women during the #MeToo wave. The once-powerful movie mogul is currently in prison during the retrial for previous rape convictions that were overturned.