Jason Priestley is claiming he once got into a physical altercation with Harvey Weinstein.
Jason Priestley is claiming he once got into a physical altercation with Harvey Weinstein.
The Beverly Hills, 90210 actor tweeted about the alleged incident on Friday in response to actress Tara Stong's claim that Weinstein may have attempted to derail Priestley's career after they got into a fist fight, much like director Peter Jackson's claims that Weinstein attempted to blacklist Mira Sorvino and Ashley Judd -- both actresses have accused Weinstein of sexual harassment. Weinstein's spokesperson firmly denied Jackson's claims in a statement to ET.
When asked for the details of the story, Priestley claimed that at the 1995 Miramax Golden Globes party, Weinstein told him he had to leave. He then claimed Weinstein grabbed his arm when he attempted to exit the party.
"I was leaving when he grabbed me by the arm and said, 'What are you doing?'" Priestley claims. "I said 'You told me to leave, I’m leaving.' 'I didn’t say you had to leave,' he replied. 'You just told me to leave... right over there,' I tell him once again."
Priestley says their argument quickly turned physical.
"Getting heated now," the 48-year-old actor continues. "He then grabs me tighter and says, 'Why don’t we go outside and talk about this?' That was all I needed to hear. 'I’m not going anywhere with you,' I said as I pushed him back and punched him with a right hand to his face. Suddenly, there were security guards pulling us apart and I was escorted out of the party..."
Weinstein again made headlines over the weekend, when Jackson claimed to New Zealand publication Stuff that he was previously told to avoid working with Judd and Sorvino.
“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,” Jackson said. “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.”
“I now suspect we were fed false information about both of these talented women -- and as a direct result their names were removed from our casting list," he continued.
In a lengthy statement to ET, Weinstein's spokesperson denied ever blacklisting Judd or Sorvino, who he had previously worked with.
"Mr. Weinstein did not blacklist Mira Sorvino, and was in fact working with her during the time frame in question on Mimic, the Guillermo Del Toro film," the statement reads. "Also during that time, she was dating Quentin Tarantino, who was the foundation and backbone of Miramax. At the time in question, no one could have blacklisted or derailed the career of Ms. Sorvino, who had recently won both an Academy and a Golden Globe award and was being courted for leading roles by all seven studios and every major broadcast network. "
"After the success of Lord of the Rings, Peter Jackson was so powerful he could have cast anyone he wanted in the Hobbit," the statement also reads. "Neither Ms. Judd nor Ms. Sorvino had roles in the film. Mr. Weinstein continues to admire Mr. Jackson for his creative genius, but he firmly denies these accusations."
