Rai and Weinstein are seen again in 2005. According to the actress's agent, he asked her repeatedly to 'go to the bathroom' or go to get a drink sot hat they could be alone.
A talent manager once sent Harvey Weinstein a trough full of Diet Coke in a jibe about his weight after he pestered her repeatedly to get him some alone time with one of her female clients.
Talent manager Simone Sheffield of Canyon Entertainment was representing Bollywood superstar Aishwarya Rai when, in 2003 or 2004, she and the actress were joined by Weinstein at a meeting.
On Saturday, as Weinstein was expelled from the Motion Picture Academy over allegations he sexually abused women in Hollywood for two decades, Sheffield recounted their meeting.
She told DailyMail.com that at the time, Weinstein had a ‘bad reputation’ for mistreating male and female stars but that she was unaware of his predatory tendencies.
During a meeting in a hotel room, she felt strongly she should stay with Rai – who at the time was ‘new’ to America.
‘Ash was new to our country and I wanted nothing bad to happen to her – on my watch. I felt her mom and dad had entrusted her to my care. I took that to heart very seriously.
‘She’d taken a few meetings with other powerful men and I had no problem waiting outside the room. But with Harvey, I felt strongly about staying by her side,’ she said.
Sheffield said her concern for the starlet was compounded by Weinstein’s repeated requests for her to leave them alone.
‘The fact that he kept trying to get rid of me, I found to be simply hilarious. “Would you like to wait outside?” “Do you have to use the bathroom?” “Would you like to go get a beverage?” “Would you like to make calls while she and I meet?”
‘My reply to each was a solid no,’ she told DailyMail.com on Saturday.
Later, as they left, she claims Weinstein approached her as Rai walked several steps ahead and asked what he would have to do to get time alone with her.
Sheffield said she replied: ‘Kiss my black a**’.
Days later, she said she sent Weinstein a pig trough filled with Diet Coke. It was intended to be delivered as an insult to his considerable weight, she said.
She claims she received a thank you from The Weinstein Company, who ‘missed the irony’ afterwards.
Sheffield said that she was happy to leave clients alone with other studio heads or producers but that Weinstein’s problematic reputation for being ‘aggressive and creepy’ towards women preceded him.
Rai and Weinstein are seen again in 2005. According to the actress’s agent, he asked her repeatedly to ‘go to the bathroom’ or go to get a drink sot hat they could be alone
She however insisted that she was unaware of the allegations of sexual assault which were surfaced last week.
‘While I was a manager, I usually drove my clients to such meetings personally (and waited outside) or had a trusted employee or associate accompany them.
‘Yes Harvey had a bad reputation with both men (arguments and angry outbursts) and women (aggressive and creepy) but never did the word “rape” ever come into the picture until now,’ Sheffield said.
Scores of actresses have told how they were preyed on by Weinstein after finding themselves alone in hotel rooms or offices with him over a period of 20 years.
