Not many people have pity for Harvey Weinstein, who has been incarcerated since 2021 on charges of rape, forced oral copulation and third-degree sexual misconduct. Well, except for Candace Owens, who believes Weinstein was a scapegoat for the #MeToo movement, but that’s a whole other story I don’t want to get into here. Oh, and then there’s Judi Dench!
That’s right, turns out Dench sympathizes with Weinstein and her recent comments about the disgraced mogul have caused quite the outrage.
Originally, when the accusations against Weinstein became public in 2017, Dench, now 90, publicly decried his actions as “horrifying.” She also acknowledged that he had long supported her career, while emphasizing that she had been entirely unaware of any wrongdoing.
However, now Dench feels he’s paid enough of a price for his sins (via The Radio Times)
I don’t know, to me it’s personal — forgiveness […] I saw a bit of film of Harvey walking with two sticks and you think, ‘Well [..] I knew Harvey and I knew him well and worked with him, and I had none of that experience — very fortunately for me.
Dench’s working relationship with Weinstein was extensive, spanning roughly 10 films across Miramax and The Weinstein Company. The most prominent collaborations include Oscar bait “Shakespeare in Love,” “Chocolat,” and “Philomena.”
There are very few who, like Dench, believe that the charges and length of Weinstein’s sentence were excessive, but they are out there, if you look hard for them, so I reached out to a lawyer friend who currently resides in Albany, New York. This was his response:
Not excessive at all. They were proportional to the number and seriousness of the alleged crimes. Those who view the prosecution as a form of “overcharging” don’t understand the law, which allows multiple counts for repeated offenses.
That said, Weinstein, 73, stands to spend the rest of his life in jail as he currently faces consecutive sentences in New York and California, totaling 39 years behind bars.