Stephanie Beacham raised eyebrows when she referred to Harvey Weinstein as a “poor bloke” during an appearance on ‘Good Morning Britain’.
The former ‘Dynasty’ star was on the ITV breakfast show to discuss Sunday (4 March) night’s Oscars, when talk turned to equality in the film industry and the Time’s Up movement, which has helped raise awareness of sexual harassment.
After Stephanie admitted she wasn’t sure about the “inclusion rider” Frances McDormand referenced in her acceptance speech, she then made a questionable comment about Weinstein, who has been accused of multiple accounts of sexual misconduct.
As host Susanna Reid pointed out the inclusion rider was a drive to tackle bias in the casting process, Stephanie said: “It amused me that Weinstein caused one huge change in showbiz several years ago and he has just changed another one. Poor bloke, he’s just gone down, but he’s actually started something very powerful.”
Questioning her choice of words, Susanna asked: When you say ‘poor bloke’, you don’t feel sorry for Harvey Weinstein, do you?”
Stephanie replied: “I think there are so many other people who could have been nailed as well as Harvey Weinstein. It has all been on him.”
Asked by Piers Morgan if she thought Weinstein had been made a scapegoat, she responded: “I think he’s just the big example. And I think everybody knows that. There are people who had literally people pimping for them - we all know of it.”
The segment was cut short when Piers and Susanna had to throw to a live red carpet interview, but Stephanie also faced criticism on social media:
Sexual assault, abuse and misconduct allegations against Weinstein first emerged in October 2017, and since then, over 50 women have come forward with allegations about the film producer.
He has denied all allegations of “non-consensual sex”.
In 2016, Stephanie revealed she had been a victim of sexual assault during the early days of her career in the 1970s.
Speaking to The Telegraph, she said: “It caused me to break off a long-term relationship that probably should have been my marriage, because I couldn’t admit to it, I felt it was my fault. No, it screwed up my life, definitely.”
‘Good Morning Britain’ airs weekdays at 6am on ITV.
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