Harvey Weinstein allegedly threatened to ruin the careers of several high profile Hollywood actresses if they didn’t wear his wife’s designs.
Weinstein’s wife Georgina Chapman, who announced earlier this week she is leaving the Hollywood producer, is the designer behind the label Marchesa. It’s alleged Weinstein used his considerable power and influence to pressure the stars into wearing Marchesa dresses to red carpet events.
According to a LA publicist who spoke to The Hollywood Reporter, Weinstein told Desperate Housewives’ Felicity Huffman he would stop financially supporting the promotion of Transamerica, her 2005 Oscar-nominated drama, if Huffman didn’t wear his wife’s designs to several red carpet events.
“He was the mastermind behind Marchesa — orchestrating deals and using his influence in terms of the celebrity connections for her on behalf of the brand,” the publicist said.
Huffman then confirmed the allegations to Too Fab at the Eva Longoria Foundation Gala in LA on Thursday night.
“Yeah, it’s true,” she told the publication.
The same LA publicist told The Hollywood Reporter Weinstein also pressured Sienna Miller, who stared in Factory Girl in 2006, to wear one of his wife’s designs to the Golden Globes.
When the publicist attempted to show Miller dresses from different designers, the actress said Weinstein “would be very upset if she didn’t wear Marchesa”.
According to another LA publicist, Chapman allegedly knew about Weinstein’s behaviour.