Kate Beckinsale recalls harrowing encounter with Harvey Weinstein that left her in tears

British actress Kate Beckinsale called Harvey Weinstein’s sentencing a “huge relief� on Instagram Wednesday after recounting a disturbing interaction she allegedly had with the convicted rapist in the wake of 9/11.

On the heels of Weinstein’s 23-year prison sentence this week, Beckinsale shared photos of herself wearing a white suit at the 2001 “Serendipity� premiere, along with a lengthy caption detailing abuse she allegedly suffered from Weinstein shortly thereafter.

Immediately after the premiere, the “Widow� star said Weinstein invited her to bring her 1-year-old daughter over for a “playdate� with his daughter at his home, where he allegedly unleashed a nasty, expletive-ridden rant upon her arrival.

“I turned up and he immediately called for his nanny to take the babies to another room to play,� she wrote. “I went to go with them and he said ‘No, you wait here.’ The minute the door closed he started screaming.�

California

Harvey Weinstein gets 23-year prison sentence in his New York trial

Fallen Hollywood titan Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison for committing a criminal sex act against a production assistant and for raping an aspiring actress.

March 11, 2020

Using several derogatory and misogynistic words that won’t be repeated here, the movie mogul then allegedly berated Beckinsale for not flaunting her body in a “tight dress� on the “Serendipity� red carpet. The actress contends Weinstein “insisted� she attend the New York premiere “mere weeks after 9/11� when she and others “refused� to participate in “the most insensitive, tone deaf, disrespectful idea possible.�

“I had no idea what he was talking about and started to shake,� Beckinsale continued. “The shock made me burst into tears. I tried to say ‘Harvey, the city is on fire, people are still looking for their relatives, none of us even felt the premiere was appropriate much less coming out dressed like it’s a bachelor party.�

“Screaming� and “livid,� Weinstein allegedly dismissed and scolded her further before she was able to escape the situation.

“I managed to get myself and my child out of there, and yes, that was one of many experiences I had that there was no recourse for and falls under no felony,� she wrote. “But I WAS punished for it, and for other instances where I said no to him for years, insidiously and seeming irreversibly.�

After telling her story, Beckinsale reflected on the sex offender’s recently determined fate and praised one of his most vocal rape accusers, Rose McGowan.

“Hearing that he has gone to prison for 23 years is a huge relief to me on behalf of all the women he sexually assaulted or raped, and I hope will be a deterrent to that sort of behavior in this and any other industry,� she said. “The crimes that are not crimes, the inhumane bullying and sick covert abuse for which there is STILL no recourse no matter who you tell (and I did tell), these too need to go. I hope and pray that we as an industry can start to actually outlaw all abuses of power and expose them and eliminate them, for all genders, forever.�

Weinstein, 67, was found guilty last month of committing a criminal sexual act and third-degree rape. Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said Wednesday that it would begin the process of extraditing him to California, where he is charged with multiple counts of sexual assault stemming from alleged attacks against two women in 2013. Until then, he’ll begin serving time at Rikers Island.

Beckinsale previously accused Weinstein of harassment in 2017, alleging that the producer called her to his hotel room and greeted her in a bathrobe when she was 17.

“Let’s stop allowing our young women to be sexual cannon fodder,� Beckinsale wrote on Instagram at the time, “And let’s remember that Harvey is an emblem of a system that is sick, and that we have work to do.�