Cate Blanchett claims she was harassed by Weinstein

3 May 2018

Cate Blanchett claims she was sexually harassed by Harvey Weinstein.

Cate Blanchett

The 48-year-old actress - who worked on a number of films with the disgraced producer - always "got a bad feeling" from the movie mogul and believed he disliked her because she wouldn't agree to his requests.

She said: "There's layers and layers to sexual harassment. I've been pestered, of course. I don't know that there are many people who haven't been."

Asked if Weinstein had ever harassed her or acted inappropriately, she added in an interview with Variety: "With me, yes. I think he really primarily preyed, like most predators, on the vulnerable. I mean I got a bad feeling from him. ... He would often say to me, 'We're not friends.'

"Well, I wouldn't do what he was asking me to do."

The 'Notes on a Scandal' star - who declined to specify what had happened between them - thinks it is important Weinstein is prosecuted for his alleged behaviour in order to set a precedent so those not in a privileged position are better placed to defend themselves in similar situations.

She explained: "I'm really interested in the people who have transgressed in ways that are beyond the bounds of offensive, what people like Harvey have done, and there are men across many industries [who have done that].

"He's been held up as an exemplar because he's unfortunately typical of certain men. I'm interested in those people being prosecuted. We have to set a legal precedent.

"Part of the mission of Time's Up is to help those who do not have the capacity to raise the funds to defend themselves and to move toward workplace equality, fairness and safety.

"When legal precedent is set by people being actually convicted, then other people can benefit from that because those precedents have been set. But me fuelling the gossip and accounts? There's enough out there."

Though Weinstein has denied many of the allegations against him and insisted all sex was consensual, Cate - who has children Dashiell, 16, Roman, 14, Ignatius, 10, and three-year-old Edith with husband Andrew Upton - hopes he goes to jail.

Asked if she thinks he could be jailed, she said: "Well, I hope so. Statutory rape is a crime, the last time I looked.

"I think it's really important that people get tried through the judicial system. It's a really important arm of democracy that we must uphold because it's under threat from a lot of different quarters."