Ellen Pompeo has come under fire for resurfaced remarks she made in a July 2018 interview about Harvey Weinstein’s victims.
In a one-minute clip that was cut from an hour-long Oxford Union Q&A, the actress star said, “I think we bear some responsibility, not all, but it takes two to tango for sure.”
She continued, “That’s not to blame the victim, that’s just to say — I did go into a room with Harvey Weinstein, I sat at a table with him, I had a probably two and a half hours with him. He never said anything inappropriate to me, he never made any sort of physical advance to me.”
The Grey’s Anatomy star explained that she had been sent to Weinstein’s office for a midday meeting by her agent, adding that she was not alone in the room.
“I wouldn’t have gone into that room at night. But he did nothing inappropriate toward me. Now had he, I would have picked up that glass and smashed him across the side of the face with it.
“So I mean, it’s all what we’re willing to tolerate in our self-esteem, and what are we going to put up with, and what are we going to compromise to be liked, to be loved, to be accepted? How bad do we want to be in show business?”
what the fvck is wrong with ellen pompeo😭 this is absolutely DISGUSTING pic.twitter.com/rrjoKTSwjR
— kelly (@filmsjroberts) April 22, 2020
The original question from the interviewer, which was not included in the clip going around online, was that amid women speaking out during the #MeToo movement, “What do you think needs to happen for this to be a permanent watermark that actually changes the way things are run in Hollywood, certainly internal dynamics forever?”
Pompeo begins her answer by stating that people need to know that kind of behaviour will not be tolerated.
“I’m not going to make excuses for those pigs in Hollywood who do disgusting things to women,” she said. “However, I do think it’s generations of men, these men clearly were brought up by older men and they clearly watched other men … These men have learned this behaviour and I think women also have to be responsible for the signals we put out, for the messages we put out, and the way we present ourselves.”
Pompeo went on to say that women flirt, and know they are flirting to get what they want, using an example of batting her eyelashes at 5 years old for more candy from a shop owner.
“I think we’re aware of our power, especially women, we’re aware of our power of seduction very early on and we use it and it comes in good (sic) handy, right? … But there has to be a balance in there,” she said before launching into her comments about Weinstein.
Following the heavy backlash about her comments, the actress has taken to Twitter to apologise.
https://twitter.com/EllenPompeo/status/1253381994802642944?s=20
https://twitter.com/EllenPompeo/status/1253425376270770185?s=20
https://twitter.com/EllenPompeo/status/1253425730613997570?s=20
https://twitter.com/EllenPompeo/status/1253426556594077699?s=20
https://twitter.com/EllenPompeo/status/1253427350533890050?s=20
https://twitter.com/EllenPompeo/status/1253438288427233280?s=20
https://twitter.com/EllenPompeo/status/1253438288427233280?s=20
