Amazon executive drawn into Hollywood harassment scandal

Amazon Studios chief Roy Price has been suspended amid allegations that he sexually harassed a producer and ignored actress Rose McGowan when she reportedly accused Harvey Weinstein of rape.

“Roy Price is on leave of absence effective immediately. We are reviewing our options for the projects we have with The Weinstein Company," an Amazon spokesperson told CNBC.

Price is accused of sexually harassing Isa Hackett, a producer on one of Amazon’s best-known shows, The Man in the High Castle. Hackett claims she was “repeatedly and insistently propositioned” by Price. According to The Hollywood Reporter, she told at least two people about the alleged incident immediately afterwards.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Meanwhile, McGowan says Price ignored her claim that Weinstein - who co-founded The Weinstein Company and was responsible for films including Shakespeare in Love - raped her, The Guardian reports.

Weinstein denies any sexual assaults, and there has been no comment from Price, the BBC says.

US and British police probes

Police in New York and London this week opened investigations into allegations involving Weinstein, reports the Los Angeles Times.

Following wide-ranging allegations by celebrities including McGowan, Angelina Jolie and Ashley Judd, the “NYPD is conducting a review to determine if there are any additional complaints”, Det. Sophia Mason of the NYPD said, according to an ITV News report.

UK police are pursuing a sexual assault case against Weinstein over an incident that allegedly occurred in the 1980s, says the Daily Mail.

What did the Weinstein Company's board know?

As the scandal widened, Apple this week dropped plans to produce an Elvis Presley biopic series in conjunction with The Weinstein Company. Hachette Book Group, one of the top publishers in the US, said on Thursday that it had “terminated” its deal with offshoot Weinstein Books.

Questions are “swirling” around whether Weinstein Company board members or executives knew about harassment claims before this week’s media storm - raising further doubts about the future of the New York-based film and television studio, says the Los Angeles Times. The board are accused of having known since at least 2015 about settlements paid by Weinstein to a number of women.

Weinstein's brother Robert, who sits on the board, said its members were “shocked and dismayed” by the recently reported allegations against the movie mogul.

A culture of sexual harassment

British actress Emma Thompson spoke out about Weinstein and the culture of sexual harassment in Hollywood during an interview on BBC Two’s Newsnight yesterday. She said that Weinstein was at “the top of the ladder” of a culture that allowed powerful men to abuse their positions.

“I think there are probably about a million missed opportunities to call this man out on his disgusting behaviour,” Thompson added.

Meanwhile, singer and model Myleene Klass claimed the Hollywood producer offered her a “sex contract” at a meeting in Cannes, reports The Daily Telegraph. Actress Kate Beckinsale said Weinstein tried to "ply her with drink" when she was just 17.