The list of women to accuse Harvey Weinstein of sexual misconduct keeps growing.
Thursday morning, actress Kate Beckinsale courageously shared an Instagram post describing the way the now-infamous Hollywood producer has allegedly treated her over the years, starting when she was just 17 years old. The long post is accompanied by a photo of the 44-year-old actress as a teenager.
She begins the post by sharing a story of an encounter she says she had with Weinstein when she was just 17 years old.
I was called to meet Harvey Weinstein at the Savoy Hotel when I was 17. I assumed it would be in a conference room which was very common. When I arrived, reception told me to go to his room. He opened the door in his bathrobe. I was incredibly naive and young and it did not cross my mind that this older, unattractive man would expect me to have any sexual interest in him. After declining alcohol and announcing that I had school in the morning I left, uneasy but unscathed.
Several years later, Beckinsale says Weinstein brought that night up to her.
A few years later he asked me if he had tried anything with me in that first meeting. I realized he couldn't remember if he had assaulted me or not.
His inappropriate behavior towards Beckinsale allegedly continued throughout the years.
I had what I thought were boundaries - I said no to him professionally many times over the years - some of which ended up with him screaming at me calling me a cunt and making threats, some of which made him laughingly tell people oh "Kate lives to say no to me."
After sharing those anecdotes, Beckinsale expressed her admiration of all the other women who have come forward with allegations against Weinstein, explaining that she believes, "we in numbers can affect real change."
It speaks to the status quo in this business that I was aware that standing up for myself and saying no to things, while it did allow me to feel uncompromised in myself, undoubtedly harmed my career and was never something I felt supported by anyone other than my family. I would like to applaud the women who have come forward, and to pledge that we can from this create a new paradigm where producers, managers, executives and assistants and everyone who has in the past shrugged and said "well, that's just Harvey/Mr X/insert name here" will realize that we in numbers can affect real change. For every moment like this there have been thousands where a vulnerable person has confided outrageous unprofessional behavior and found they have no recourse, due to an atmosphere of fear that it seems almost everyone has been living in.
Like many other women who have shared their truth this week, Kate Beckinsale knows there is work to do to change the system. She concludes her story with a hopeful message:
Let's stop allowing our young women to be sexual cannon fodder, and let's remember that Harvey is an emblem of a system that is sick, and that we have work to do.