The #METOO movement is far from finished. Actor, Ashely Judd, filed a lawsuit against film producer, Harvey Weinstein on Monday. She alleges that because she refused to give into Weinstein’s sexual advances, he ruined her career. To be specific, Judd was up for two roles in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, but never received a call back. Now, Judd claims that Weinstein was behind it all.
Back in 1998, Judd met with both Jackson and his producing partner, Fran Walsh. Judd explained on Twitter (@AshleyJudd), “Peter & Fran had me in – – showed me all the creative, the boards, costumes, everythin. They asked which of the two roles I preferred, and then I abruptly never heard from [them] again.”
So, what happened? After nearly 10 years, Peter Jackson was interviewed by Stuff – a New Zealand based site, and shared his side of the story. When Jackson had approached Weinstein about casting Ashely Judd and Mira Sorvino, he shares, “I recall Miramax telling us they were a nightmare to work with and we should avoid them at all costs. This was probably in 1998.”
Jackson went on to explain, “At the time, we had no reason to question what these guys were telling us – but in hindsight, I realize that this was very likely the Miramax smear campaign in full swing.”
Weinstein’s attorney denies these allegations, stating, “The most basic investigation of the facts will reveal that Mr. Weinstein neither defamed Ms. Judd nor ever interfered with Ms. Judd’s career, and instead not only championed her work but also repeatedly approved her casting for two of his movies over the next decade.”