John Madden says Harvey Weinstein thought he was 'untouchable'

After The New York Times published their exposé on Harvey Weinstein's sexual abuse victims, dozens of actresses came forward. While three have claimed rape, more than 20 others say that the Hollywood producer sexually harassed them. Some of the industry's biggest actresses including Gwenyth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie are on his list of victims.

An abuse of power

Paltrow said her experience with Weinstein happened early in her career. She was invited to his hotel room for a meeting, but when she showed up, the producer was in his robe and asked for a massage.

He claimed that "all the actresses do it," but Paltrow left immediately.

While she managed to leave quickly, Weinstein did not let her tell anyone about the incident after her boyfriend, Brad Pitt approached him about it. She went on to continue working with the producer, starring in the 1998 film "Shakespear in Love" which gained her an Oscar for best actress.

The director of the movie, John Madden, recently spoke out about the news regarding Weinstein. He told Buzzfeed News that he commends the women who have come forward, calling them brave for sharing their "deeply abusive experiences."

Power-craving

In a more detailed interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the director said that Weinstein "craved power." The two worked together since 1993 when Miramax distributed his film "Ethan Frome." He said that although he knew Weinstein was always power-hungry, he never knew that he used his power in this way.

He told The Hollywood Reporter that he was surprised to hear Gwenyth Paltrow come forward as a victim since he worked with the two on a few films together.

Madden described Weinstein as someone who is difficult to deal with, saying that he and the producer had many "creative battles" during the time they worked together.

The director urges people to take something from this revelation.

He says "we should all be more vigilant and more aware," since the entire thing was based on an "abuse of power." Madden said that during their creative battles, he was able to handle Weinstein easily.

He said that he would have never imagined that the producer's power was being used in such an "incredibly damaging way." He added to his statement saying that the amount of power Weinstein developed made him feel "untouchable."

When asked about his brother, Madden told The Hollywood Reporter that he had no idea their relationship was so bad.

Bob Weinstein recently claimed the two hadn't had much of a relationship at all for the past five years. Harvey Weinstein's name continues to be thrown out in headlines while he is in Arizona for rehabilitation.