Reuters: London, October 14 – The new movie “She Said,” had its world premiere on Friday at the London Film Festival.
stars Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan as the distinguished journalists who broke the Harvey Weinstein sexual harassment scandal.
Based on the 2019 book of the same name, the movie tells the story of the New York Times investigation into allegations of sexual misbehavior against Weinstein, one of Hollywood’s most influential producers at the time. Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor, who wrote the book and received Pulitzer Prizes for their reporting, are portrayed by Mulligan and Kazan.
Mulligan told Reuters on the red carpet, “The film resonated to me as being really full of women being heroic, from the survivors, the witnesses to everyone at The Times who sort of made this happen.”
Along with the movie’s actors, some of Weinstein’s accusers attended the premiere, including his former assistant Zelda Perkins and her colleague Rowena Chiu.
Hiu described how “confusing” it was to see her narrative on the big screen.
You feel sorry about it, you feel furious about it, and you sort of feel shocked that so many people are interested in it and that it has grown into such a massive phenomenon, she added. So everything sort of happens at once, and you can clearly sense a clash of emotions.
Following the Times report, almost 100 women came forward to accuse Weinstein of sexual assault. With women all across the world denouncing sexual harassment, the reporting gave birth to the #MeToo movement.
In March 2020, Weinstein was given a 23-year jail sentence in New York for the rape and sexual assault of two women, despite his denials of ever engaging in non-consensual sex. He is contesting the judgment.
In California, Weinstein is currently on trial for further allegations of sexual assault. He entered a not-guilty plea. (Sarah Mills reported; Josie Kao edited)