Quentin Tarantino knew about accusations of sexual misconduct against Harvey Weinstein in the 1990s, but continued to work with him, something he now regrets, the director told The New York Times in an interview.
"I knew enough to do more than I did," he said. "There was more to it than just the normal rumors, the normal gossip. It wasn't secondhand. I knew he did a couple of these things." Tarantino said in 1995, his then-girlfriend, actress Mira Sorvino, told him Weinstein made unwelcome advances, and he also heard about actress Rose McGowan reaching a settlement with Weinstein following an incident at the Sundance Film Festival. "I chalked it up to a '50s-'60s era image of a boss chasing a secretary around the desk," he said. "As if that's okay. That's the egg on my face right now."
Weinstein and Tarantino have long been close, with Weinstein distributing such Tarantino films as Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, and the Kill Bill films, and he recently threw Tarantino an engagement party. When reports came out in the Times and New Yorker about allegations of sexual harassment and assault against Weinstein, Tarantino said he was "shocked and appalled," and he told the Times he now apologizes for not speaking up sooner. Hollywood needs to change, he added, and "what was previously accepted is now untenable to anyone of a certain consciousness."