Peter Jackson best known as the director, writer and producer of the Lord of the Rings trilogy said that he is now realising that Harvey Weinstein's advice to avoid working with Mira Sorvino or Ashley Judd was likely part of a “smear campaign” against the two actresses.
Jackson recalled that he was told by Miramax in the late 1990s that Judd and Sorvino who were the first to speak up against Weinstein’s infamous reputation were "a nightmare" to work with and thus, didn't consider either for his Lord of the Rings films.
The director told New Zealand media outlet Stuff, “I now suspect we were fed false information about both of these talented women — and as a direct result, their names were removed from our casting list.”
In a statement on behalf of himself and producer Fran Walsh, he says that they both expressed enthusiasm for Judd and Sorvino.
"We were immediately told by Miramax to steer clear of them, because they claimed to have had "bad experiences" with these particular actresses in the past," Jackson wrote. "We have no direct evidence linking Ashley and Mira's allegations to our Lord of the Rings casting conversations of 20 years ago — but we stand by what we were told by Miramax when we raised both of their names, and we are recounting it accurately. If we were unwitting accomplices in harming their careers, Fran and I unreservedly apologise to both Ashley and Mira."
According to Variety, Harvey and Bob Weinstein denied these allegations through their spokesperson who said, “While Bob and Harvey Weinstein were executive producers of the film, they had no input into the casting whatsoever.”
Both Sorvino and Judd, who are among the several women who accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct, took to twitter to show their appreciation towards Jackson for speaking up and affirming the “smear campaign” undertaken by Weinstein.
Sorvino said on Twitter that she burst out crying when she saw the article. She says it is confirmation that Weinstein derailed her career.
“I remember this well,” Ashely Judd wrote on Twitter.
(With inputs from AP)
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