It's been a long and harrowing few months in the worlds of entertainment and politics. Following the myriad accusations of sexual misconduct and assault toward Harvey Weinstein, the mogul producer was fired from his own company, as well as his position in the film Academy. Since then the floodgates have opened, with new powerful men being accused of sexual misconduct every few days. But the Weinstein scandal is what started it all, and information about his possible abuse of power is still trickling out. The most recent development comes from director Peter Jackson, who was reportedly told not to hire actresses Ashley Judd and Mira Sorvino in his Lord of the Rings trilogy. He now believes this was part of a smear campaign to discredit and disavow Weintein's accusers.
Peter Jackson just came forward with this information to Stuff, now having deeper understanding of why he was told not to hire the pair of actresses. He said,
I recall Miramax telling us they were a nightmare to work with and we should avoid them at all costs. This was probably in 1998. At the time, we had no reason to question what these guys were telling us - but in hindsight, I realize that this was very likely the Miramax smear campaign in full swing.
It seems conversations had decades ago are now making more sense for the acclaimed director. While Peter Jackson seemed to have taken the folks at Miramax at their word regarding the possible casting of Ashley Judd and Mira Sorvino, it now appears that there may have been ulterior motives to this decision. Although the time has passed to reward the actresses with possible jobs, Jackson seems to be trying to make amends now by revealing this information.
Ashley Judd has also corroborated Peter Jackson's accusations, taking to Twitter to verify this story is reportedly true.
After hearing about this new allegation by Peter Jackson, Lord of the Rings fans are likely wondering what role(s) Mira Sorvino and Ashley Judd may have been up for. Judd certainly has the right hair color and complexion to play Arwen, a role eventually given to Liv Tyler. Mira Sorvino may have been eyeing Eowyn or Galadriel, the latter going to Cate Blanchett.
We'll have to wait and see if anyone from Harvey Weinstein's camp responds to Peter Jackon's latest allegation. Weinstein has denied the various accusations made against him, with his legal team occasionally sending out responses as new accounts come to light.
CinemaBlend will be sure to update you on more details about these allegations as they become public. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your trips to the movies in the New Year.
