Amidst several actresses coming forward with their experiences of Harvey Weinstein sexually harassing them, PEOPLE reports that actress Kate Beckinsale has added her own story to the mix. The Serendipity star said on her Instagram account that after the famed film producer came on to her when she was only 17 years old, her career suffered.
"I was called to meet Harvey Weinstein at the Savoy Hotel when I was 17," Beckinsale wrote alongside a photo of her young self, explaining that she was sent to his hotel room instead of a conference room. "He opened the door in his bathrobe. I was incredibly naive and young and it did not cross my mind that this older, unattractive man would expect me to have any sexual interest in him."
Beckinsale revealed that she turned down Weinstein's offer of alcohol and ultimately left the meeting unharmed. However, when she ran into Weinstein several years later, he didn't even remember what happened between them in his hotel room.
"He asked me if he had tried anything with me in that first meeting," she said. "I realized he couldn't remember if he had assaulted or not. I had what I thought were boundaries. I said no to him professionally many times over the years—some of which ended up with him screaming at me, calling me a c*** and making threats, some of which made him laughingly tell people, 'Oh, Kate lives to say no to me.'"
The haunting story highlights a theme evident in many other women's uncomfortable encounters with Weinstein: a fear of one's career slowing down if she rejected him outright. "It speaks to the status quo in this business," Beckinsale said, "that I was aware that standing up for myself and saying no to things, while it did allow me to feel uncompromised in myself, undoubtedly harmed my career."
Truly emphasizing how actresses come to believe how fragile their status in Hollywood can be, Beckinsale applauded the women who have come forward with their own stories. "Let's stop allowing our young women to be sexual cannon fodder, and let's remember that Harvey is an emblem of a system that is sick and that we have work to do," she said at the end of her statement.
Even though it's becoming more and more difficult to hear actresses' stories of harassment from Weinstein, we need to listen to their voices to ensure that change in the treatment towards women occurs.
