The published report of decades of sexual harassment by producer Harvey Weinstein begs the questions: How did his behavior go unchecked for so long? And how are Democratic politicians trying to distance themselves from Weinstein?; Larry David's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" once helped exonerate a murder suspect. The story is his told in the documentary, "Long Shot."
Women in Hollywood react to the allegations of sexual harassment against Harvey Weinstein
In the 1990s and early aughts, Harvey Weinstein was a force in the movie industry. A tough New York producer, he was a ruthless marketer and Oscar campaigner. And Miramax, the company he co-founded with his brother, Bob, was behind many award-winning films: "Pulp Fiction," "Shakespeare in Love" and "Good Will Hunting," among them.
But, according to a New York Times story that was posted on Oct. 5, for many years Weinstein was also routinely sexually harassing women. He made a statement available to the New York Times about the claims.
Reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey recounted a number of instances — including with actress Ashley Judd — in which Weinstein would ask young actresses or subordinates in his company to meet him in hotel suites. He would propose that they give him massages or watch him shower.
The Times story reports that dozens of former and current Weinstein employees knew of “inappropriate conduct,” but “only a handful said they ever confronted him.” On at least eight occasions, settlements were reached with the accusers.
Film producer Cathy Schulman, president of the production company, Welle Entertainment, and the advocacy group, Women in Film, and Melissa Silverstein, founder/publisher of the blog Women and Hollywood, joined The Frame guest host Josie Huang to discuss the story.
Interview highlights:
On their reactions to the revelations about Harvey Weinstein in the New York Times:
Melissa Silverstein: I was pretty shocked that it was as awful as it was. But I just felt: What kind of environment is created that a person can get away with this for so long and have so many enablers around them and so many people afraid to say anything?
Cathy Schulman: Like Melissa, I wasn't aware of the depth or the intensity of the allegations. I thought that he was famous for having poor behavior and a bad temper and being particularly abusive toward female employees and collaborators. So I felt shocked that the system could enable silence this way. And how is it possible if from the very beginning there were coverups — that meant that human resources and business affairs and other advisors were allowing this to happen without feeling any sense of responsibility to speak up, or were in fear themselves if they spoke up.
On the way that non-disclosure agreements can contribute to a culture of silence around sexual misconduct:
Schulman: I think there's a problem with the entire American legal system that ultimately enables secrecy. I think, personally, the idea that people sign quick claims and that we settle things in employment scenarios by which you get money and then you don't tell, is problematic overall. In the industry it's such common practice that I find it offensive. There's a dispute and the only way to get yourself out of a situation — as a woman, where you've been essentially bullied, harassed, whatever you've been — is that you get some money and close your mouth. [That's] highly problematic and has been for a very long time in this industry.
On whether or not Weinstein's success provided him some cover in getting away with this alleged behavior for so long:
Silverstein: I think that this happens all over the place. There are people who don't make prestige movies who've been doing coverups for their whole career. I think [Weinstein is] particular because he also stood out as a person who said that he supported women and lots of progressive causes at the same time he was sexually harassing women with impunity. It's just that what happens with women is that you don't have the power. This person had all of the power and this is how perpetrators deal with this. This is why they continue to act with impunity because they have all the power.
Schulman: I think that brings us to the punishment. And I think Melissa's right: What's so important in these cases from Roger Ailes and on, and not to mention older ones like Mel Gibson and various different ones that have come up in Hollywood history, this punishment's got to be visible, it's got to be real. It shouldn't be something that you can take a hiatus or a break for a year and come back renewed.
On sexism in the film industry and how it contributes to an environment in which sexual misconduct persists:
Silverstein: It's about a lack of opportunities for women, it's about a lack of access to power, it's about sexual harassment — it is multiple things going on in this industry. Quite frankly, if men have been taught that it's okay to get away with this and they see role models of people getting away with it, that's what they learn. So we need new behaviors where people say, No, that's not acceptable. People have to really decide that they want the industry to be different and they want to be different kinds of people who lead.
How 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' kept an innocent man out of prison
In the new Netflix documentary, "Long Shot," a man accused of a murder he didn't commit is exonerated thanks to the unlikeliest of sources: the HBO show, "Curb Your Enthusiasm."
In 2003, Juan Catalán was accused of the murder of 16-year-old Martha Puebla. His alibi was that he was at a Los Angeles Dodgers game on the night of the murder, but he couldn’t prove it. Then, he remembered a TV crew had been filming at the Dodgers Stadium that night.
Turns out it was HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” shooting a scene with star Larry David. Footage from the show would later help to exonerate Catalán, surprising everyone, including David.
We spoke with "Long Shot" director Jacob LaMendola about where he came across this story and how he landed an interview with Larry David.
On where he first heard Catalán's story:
I saw this on the trivia section for Curb on the IMDb page. I was just bored and reading about "Curb" and this was — and still is — the first fact there, that an episode was involved in this murder case. And just like anybody else I was curious. I tried to find Juan and couldn't find him anywhere on the Internet, but I could find [his] lawyer, Todd Melnick. I called him and decided I was going to fly to California [from] New York and meet him and Juan. At that point, I had no idea if it was going to be a movie or anything. But in meeting them, it was the way that they spoke. That's when I realized it should be a film.
On how Juan Catalán got entangled in a murder case from 2003:
A 16-year-old girl, Martha Puebla, was murdered. She lived very close to Juan. Juan's brother, Mario, is unfortunately involved in some of the gangs that were very prominent in Los Angeles at the time. It was sort of just mistaken identity. There was one eyewitness when she was killed on her front lawn. He ran away the second that she was killed. His eyewitness testimony was the only thing they had. He drew up a sketch of what he remembered the shooter looked like, and Juan's ID was in the system because of his brother. And it seemed to just match ... it was a very convenient excuse. It was wrong place, wrong time.
On what motive authorities gave for why Catalán would want to kill Puebla:
Martha was an eyewitness to another murder. When she was testifying, Juan's brother was also testifying [in] another case. So Juan was in the audience watching Martha testify, but he was there for his brother's support. They thought Juan was killing Martha to protect his brother. The [police] had their minds set on Juan. I think that's what the movie shows you — all of these things they had to do to prove that it wasn't him.
On what led attorney Todd Melnick to Larry David and "Curb your Enthusiasm":
All Juan remembered [from] the game was [seeing the actor who played] Super Dave Osborne, which is Bob Einstein, the actor who plays Funkhauser on "Curb." Juan had no idea who Larry David was. He didn't know what "Curb Your Enthusiasm" was. But he did know Super Dave Osborne, and that's what triggered Todd. Todd was able find out that they were shooting "Curb." From there he went to the studio to watch all this footage.
What did the footage show?
It's in the "Curb" outtake footage, it's not even in the actual episode. But not only do you see Juan in the footage, but he's right front and center of the frame, walking down to his seat holding his daughter's hand while Larry David is coming up the aisle. They almost bump into each other. And, clearly, Juan ruins the take. Larry David puts his arms up and it's this amazing moment. They literally almost touched. That moment to me was the reason to make the film. It's just a small moment that became so big.
On finally landing an interview with Larry David:
It took forever, we hounded him. We knew that he had to be a part of the film. It took over a year, going through his secretary over and over again. I remember I finally got five minutes to try to convince him. His secretary called and said, "We have Larry David. Do you want to talk to him?" He picks up the phone and the very first thing he says is, "There's no way I would ever be a part of this." And my heart, I swear — this was a year-and-a half-in, we had already filmed interviews, I had all this archival [footage], I visited Juan's brother in prison — I was crushed. I think I went into shock and I just said, "OK, well, let me just tell you what I've been through and talk to you about the experience." I don't remember what I said, I just started talking. I must have been rambling because he was like, "Hey, so all you need is an interview from me?" I was like, Yeah. And he [said], "OK, I'll do it." And that was it.
This is a partial transcript. Click the play button above to hear the entire interview.