Harvey Weinstein: fall of Hollywood player they once called ‘God’ | Observer profile

For years rumours surrounded the movie mogul behind films such as Shakespeare in Love and Gangs of New York, but now his accusers are going on the record alleging sex assaults

On the day before news officially broke of alleged sexual harassment stretching back decades, Harvey Weinstein, the 65-year-old movie mogul, offered this comment: “The story sounds so good I want to buy the movie rights.”

In its blend of the glib, the acquisitive and plain braggadocio, it seemed an incredible response to a potentially career-ending exposé. Yet those familiar with the man Meryl Streep called “God” at the 2012 Golden Globes, know that he’s defined by an attitude of infallibility. In 2000, having allegedly assaulted a young reporter at a crowded party, Weinstein is said to have screamed: “It’s good I’m the fucking sheriff of this fucking lawless piece-of-shit town.” (Though several photographers were present, no images surfaced.) With more than 300 Oscar nominations to his name, he is one of the most powerful men in Hollywood,– a formidable, even unrivalled mix of art, celebrity, politics, money and power.

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from The Guardian http://ift.tt/2wEXRyS