Harvey Weinstein's Predatory Behavior Appears To Have Started Early In Career

New accusations of sexual misconduct against media mogul Harvey Weinstein indicate his predatory behavior began early in his career. 

After interviews with 67 people in Weinstein’s “orbit,” The Washington Post uncovered previously unreported allegations of misconduct against women that date back to the very beginning of Weinstein’s rise to power. Women and men also chronicled a long history of verbal and physical bullying from the producer.

One of the newest allegations against Weinstein took place on the set of one of his first movies, 1986′s “Playing for Keeps.” A female crew member reported an incident to the film’s lead producer, Alan Brewer. According to the Post:

Weinstein had asked her to come to his hotel room, ostensibly for work reasons, she told Brewer, but then kissed her. She resisted. Weinstein overpowered her. He forced her on the bed and attempted to perform oral sex on her. Eventually, she got him to stop.

Brewer asked if she wanted to file a police report. (Another crew member heard the woman’s account separately at the time, and corroborated Brewer’s memories.) No, she said, shaking. She wanted to keep the job — but she wanted the co-director to stay away from her.

Weinstein’s reputation of harassing women apparently started 30 years ago, when he was working as a concert promoter. A former disc jokey, Lauri Githens, told the Post about the unwritten rules of the 1980s music scene. 

“Don’t mention the competition on the air. Don’t put two car ads in the same segment,” Githens told the Post. “And, if you’re a young woman, don’t be alone with Harvey Weinstein.”

Another allegation uncovered by the Post involved the daughter of arts patron Kay Kendall. Weinstein offered to help the aspiring actress after meeting Kay Kendall at a 1993 event. 

Within a week, Katherine Kendall had a meeting at Weinstein’s New York office. He invited her to his apartment, where she said he took off his clothes and asked for a massage. Horrified, she said that she made up a story about meeting her boyfriend and tried to leave, but Weinstein insisted that he go with her.

“Harvey has a bargaining quality, a back-and-forth bullying that makes you just go ‘okay,’ ” she explained. She jumped out of their taxi blocks later and ran inside a bar, begging the bartender to pretend that he was her boyfriend.

The accusations of Weinstein’s misconduct appear to show a long-established pattern: inviting young women into private rooms and taking advantage of their dependence on his power. 

Since The New York Times published a story outlining decades of sexual harassment accusations  on Monday, Weinstein’s position in Hollywood has significantly dwindled. He was fired by the board  of his own production company, his wife Georgina Chapman has left him  and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has booted him from its elite group.