Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein swung back at critics during his sentencing Wednesday, saying he had “no great power in this industry” while defending his character and addressing the two women at the center of his rape trial.
“I can’t stop looking at Jessica and Mimi and hoping something maybe from our old friendship could emerge,” he said before he was sentenced to 23 years in prison for third-degree rape and one count of criminal sexual act in the first degree.
The women — Jessica Mann, a former aspiring actress, and Mimi Haley, a former “Project Runway” production assistant — spoke during the sentencing about the emotional trauma that has lingered for years after they said Weinstein, 67, assaulted them.
During the trial, Mann had testified that she felt pressure to have sex with Weinstein, the co-founder of the entertainment company Miramax, after meeting him at a Hollywood Hills party several years ago. Mann cried on the stand and described a dynamic with Weinstein that included him giving her gifts and favors, while expecting her to cater to his sexual desires.
Weinstein’s defense team argued that Mann continued writing Weinstein “loving” messages even after she said he sexually assaulted her.
“I read those letters of missing you, loving you, as a serious friendship,” Weinstein said Wednesday.
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He added of his time spent with Mann and Haley, “I had wonderful times with these people.”
The former film industry titan has denied all allegations of nonconsensual sex and pleaded not guilty in the New York case. His lawyers have said they will appeal the conviction.
The once-powerful Hollywood producer also admitted to carrying on extramarital affairs and trying to hide them from his two former wives.
He also said he felt “badly” and worried that “I may never see my children again.”
In all, more than 80 women have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct, including rape, sexual assault and harassment, going back decades. The allegations became part of a wider societal reckoning known as the #MeToo movement, which has upended the careers of dozens of powerful and wealthy men.
Weinstein said he was “the first example” of men being accused and seemed to lament how thousands of others have lost their jobs or are afraid. But he denied using his position at Miramax and later, his own production company, to take advantage of women.
“I wasn’t about power. I was about making great movies,” he said.
He also listed his charitable efforts after 9/11 and Superstorm Sandy to help others in need.
“There are so many people who would say great things about me,” he said. “Sixty executives in this industry would say great things about me.”
But he added that he hasn’t seen his three older children since the publication of a 2017 New Yorker article that fueled the #MeToo movement — isolating him in a way that felt like “hell on earth.”
“If I could do a lot of things over, I would care less about movies and care more about my children,” he told the judge.
Adam Reiss is a reporter and producer for NBC and MSNBC.
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