Meryl Streep talks Harvey Weinstein and sexual harassment

At the height of his success, Harvey Weinstein reigned supreme. He was a renowned film producer in Hollywood who was well respected especially in the movie scene. Harvey and his brother founded film distribution company Miramax just before the dawn of the new century. As the star of the company shone, so did his stature in Hollywood. In 2005, he and his brother left Miramax to form a production company of their own. It was called The Weinstein Company and boy was it successful.

Streep had known Weinstein for years, and eventually released a statement on Oct. 9. "The disgraceful news about Harvey Weinstein has appalled those of us whose work he championed, and those whose good and worthy causes he supported... One thing can be clarified. Not everybody knew".

Fast track to almost two decades later, Harvey is facing a raft of sexual harassment charges with tens of women have come forward. According to these women, Harvey is more than meets the eye. He stands accused of assault, rape, and sexual harassment; a trio that has made headlines for the wrong reasons since the news was broken by The New York Times. The question that beckons is: how can a two-faced mogul like Harvey keep such a horrid nature under wraps for such a long time? Though no one is questioning Harvey’s passion for supporting good causes and his ability to champion great works, his character is on the chopping block it He is being taken apart literally, pieces by piece!

Harvey Weinstein and actress Meryl Streep attend the Australian Academy Of Cinema And Television Arts International Awards Ceremony at Soho House on Jan. 27, 2012 in West Hollywood.

The fallout has been huge. Harvey has been forced out of his production company (termination by cause) and suspended from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. He has also been forced to resign from the Directors Guild of America and expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. There is more where that came from. The political figures he once supported have openly denounced him and his actions and as a final nail in his coffin, his wife has left him. Most recently, Meryl Streep with whom the Hollywood mogul collaborated a lot with has also denounced him.

In this new interview, Streep added, "You think you know everything about everybody. So much gossip. You don’t know anything. People are so inscrutable on a certain level. And it’s a shock ... in terms of Harvey, I really didn’t know. I did think he was having girlfriends. But when I heard rumors about actresses, I thought that that was a way of denigrating the actress and her ability to get the job".

In fact, Meryl Streep was very surprised when she got the news. Having worked with the man for a long time, the situation made her examine her inner self deeply as she was totally clueless. In a statement sent out to media outlets through her publicist Lesley Dart, Streep distances herself from Harvey’s actions and categorically says that she was not aware that Harvey had such a dark side. In her exact words, Meryl describes the whole situation as an abuse of power, inexcusable and disgraceful. Meryl who collaborated with Harvey on films such as "August: Osage County" was taken aback when news that Harvey had paid off multiple women who accused him of assault and sexual harassment broke. Having worked with him for many years you would assume she would know Harvey’s dark side. But it seems he did a good job of keeping it under wraps.

"I have experienced things, mostly when I was young and pretty. Nobody comes on to me [now]," she said. "So I wouldn’t have had that more recently. But back in the day, when everybody was doing cocaine, there was a lot of [expletive] behavior that was inexcusable. But now that people are older and soberer, there has to be forgiveness, and that’s the way I feel about it".

Streep wouldn't go into detail about her harassment experiences but did say, "I mean, I was really beaten up, but I don’t want to ruin somebody’s mature life.I do think if the world is going to go on, we have to find out a way to work together, and know that it’s better for men if they respect us deeply as equals," she added.

In her statement, Meryl Streep also says that though Harvey at times got exasperated with her, they had a respectful working relationship. To her, the most shocking revelation was the fact that Harvey had actually opted for financial settlements with at least 8 women who had previously accused him of assault and sexual harassment and what it portrayed as regards Harvey’s innocence or guilt. I doubt he would have paid off those women if he was innocent, but I digress. I am not his advocate.