Asia Argento: 'I was raped by Harvey Weinstein here at Cannes'
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Asia Argento closed out her 2018 Cannes Film Festival experience with a powerful speech about Harvey Weinstein.
On Saturday, while on-stage presenting with director Ava DuVernay at the festival's closing ceremony, Argento spoke of her past Cannes experiences, telling the audience that Weinstein — who's been hit with accusations of sexual harassment and assault from more than a dozen women, including Argento — had previously raped her there.
"In 1997, I was raped by Harvey Weinstein here at Cannes," Argento bravely said into the microphone. "I was 21 years old. This festival was his hunting ground. I want to make a prediction: Harvey Weinstein will never be welcomed here ever again. He will live in disgrace, shunned by a film community that once embraced him and covered up for his crimes."
Discours très fort et très applaudi de l'actrice d'Asia Argento en ce début de Cérémonie de Clôture avant l'annonce du prix d'interprétation féminine.
🎬 Vivez le 71ème #FestivalDeCannes sur myCANAL > https://t.co/i22ZzfViGr #Cannes2018 pic.twitter.com/P1n9GcjCtO— CANAL+ (@canalplus) May 19, 2018
"And even tonight, sitting among you, there are those who still have to be held accountable for their conduct against women, for behavior that does not belong in this industry, does not belong in any industry or workplace," the Italian actress went on. "You know who you are. But most importantly, we know who you are. And we’re not going to allow you to get away with it any longer."
Argento received an overwhelming amount of support for her fearless speech, and many took the time to praise her for addressing not only Weinstein but the harmful culture that exists within the festival and entertainment industry.
Yes my sister .@asiaargento TAKE THE POWER https://t.co/zpoRoF3AhA
— rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) May 19, 2018
The serious guts it took to do this. We are with you @AsiaArgento https://t.co/oI5784Wi9c
— Melissa Silverstein (@melsil) May 19, 2018
Do me a favor and watch this video immediately.
You won't regret it. @AsiaArgento will take your breath away.
Video by @hugoclement pic.twitter.com/bThukZ4Oc3— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) May 19, 2018
Asia Argento didn't just put Harvey Weinstein on blast, she put the entire Cannes Film Festival on blast. That takes far more courage. https://t.co/GEmcjBWPVQ
— Robin (@caulkthewagon) May 19, 2018
Asia Argento .. God bless you.
— Rosanna Arquette (@RoArquette) May 19, 2018
How to lob a grenade into a huge industry event and make them thank you for it. Video here . @AsiaArgento https://t.co/u6iyrDJTfk
— Anthony Bourdain (@Bourdain) May 19, 2018
A lot of people don't want to be confronted with the hard truth, but @AsiaArgento saying what needs to be said, plain and simple. If we want real change, we need more of this kind of talk at awards ceremonies, not montages or spotlights on "strong female characters." https://t.co/vvUzTyK185
— Rachel King (@rachelking) May 19, 2018
Argento, who was one of the first women to publicly speak up about Harvey Weinstein, had her story detailed in the scathing New Yorker piece back in Oct. 2017 and received so much backlash for coming forward that she temporarily left Italy.
Then, in Nov. 2017, as more and more women spoke up about their negative experiences with the Hollywood producer, Argento shared a list of more than 100 of his accusers on Twitter.
The emotional speech comes days after 82 women, including Kristen Stewart, Marion Cotillard, Ava DuVernay, and Salma Hayek, locked arms to walk the Cannes red carpet in a call for equal pay and gender representation in the film industry going forward.
