Harvey Weinstein's colleague Scott Rosenberg is the latest to speak out amidst the producer's explosive sexual harassment scandal. While the women of Hollywood share their stories about Weinstein and other powerful industry heads like Jason Seagal, the men have been rather quiet. Many actors have announced their support for the victims and explained how surprised they are, but Rosenberg called all of Hollywood out in his recent Facebook post.
Ignorance in the industry
Rosenberg started his Facebook post by discussing how close he was with the Weinstein brothers. He said that they produced his first two movies, signed him to a great deal and gave him a lot of money. "They gave me my career," he said, describing how well the two treated him.
He was still young, in his 20s and the screenwriter thought he had "struck gold." He said that he was there for what was called "The Golden Age," referring to the mid-to-late 1990s when Weinstein took part in films such as "Pulp Fiction" and "Good Will Hunting."
Rosenberg said in his post that he wanted to be clear on one thing: "Everybody-f--king-knew." He emphasized this point by repeating it three times throughout the long Facebook post.
He backed those who have said they had no idea Weinstein raped women, sharing that they were only aware of how "overly-aggressive" he was.
Not all were victims
The screenwriter made it clear that there were people who contributed to his power-hungry attitude. He claims there were many actresses who couldn't resist the temptation and willingly slept with Weinstein for roles. Rosenberg described his actions as the "most reprehensible thing" imaginable, but doesn't think that excuses the way Hollywood is acting right now.
He criticized all of the big names who are denying they knew about Weinstein's behavior, saying that their denial comes in a "not-so-distant second" to his actions. He called out everyone from actors and agents to journalists and politicians.
Rosenberg went on to make the point that Weinstein was essentially invincible for years. "Harvey owned the press," he stated when asked what the people were to do. He said that everyone kept to themselves because they were all afraid of him. It has been made clear through victim's stories that the producer threatened to end careers.
The screenwriter finished up his long statement announcing how ashamed he was of being complicit but pointed out that everyone should be ashamed. He said that all those like him who watched from the sidelines, keeping the information to themselves, should tell their stories as the victims have, instead of lying about not knowing anything.
Rosenberg addresses no one specifically, but many who have spoken out like Ben Affleck, Bob Weinstein, and Woody Allen are all believed to have known about Harvey's behavior.