Madonna
Madonna is the latest star to accuse disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein of making unwanted sexual advances.
Hollywood was rocked last year by allegations of sexual assault made against Weinstein, which he denies.
The singer told The New York Times that Weinstein “crossed lines and boundaries” when they worked on her 1991 documentary, ‘Truth Or Dare’.
Weinstein denied the allegations, saying the pop star had mischaracterised their relationship.
Madonna said Weinstein had been “incredibly sexually flirtatious and forward with me when we were working together.”
“He was married at the time, and I certainly wasn’t interested,” she added. ‘Truth Or Dare’ was distributed by the film mogul’s Weinstein Company, which filed for bankruptcy last year, having fired him as chairman in 2017.
Madonna told the newspaper, “I was aware that he did the same with a lot of other women that I knew in the business.
“We were all ‘Harvey gets to do that because he’s got so much power and he’s so successful and his movies do so well and everybody wants to work with him, so you have to put up with it’.”
Weinstein dismissed the allegations in a statement to the BBC, which included multiple references to her hit songs.
“Madonna is such a maverick it is surprising that she conformed to what’s in Vogue. This new narrative was not the nature of my relationship with her, and I will not justify my terrific feelings for her. It was significant, material and fun.
“She was that ray of light whom I will always cherish. Anyone who knew her well back in those days appreciates that she knew how to express herself, she was fun, flirtatious and genuinely engaging, but if getting on this bandwagon helps her sell records, turn up the radio,” he said.
Last month, Weinstein and his former studio’s board members reached a tentative deal with women who accused him of sexual misconduct, according to US reports.
Lawyers said the settlement to resolve civil lawsuits and compensate alleged victims was worth about $44m (£34.7m).
However, he is still facing criminal charges relating to other counts of sexual abuse, including rape, as well as civil cases – including one brought by the actress Ashley Judd.
In the lengthy article, Madonna – who recently performed at Eurovision in Israel – appeared relieved that the authorities were now involved.
“So when it happened, I was really like, ‘Finally,'” she went on. “I wasn’t cheering from the rafters because I’m never going to cheer for someone’s demise. I don’t think that’s good karma anyway.”
–BBCÂ