It started with a pitter that went up to the Pater. Harvey Weinstein, that king behind Hollywood pawns, is dealing with what accounts for a Queens' gambit. Ever since a New York Times report on Weinstein's predilection for forcing himself on to debutante actresses trickled into the the public sphere, there has been an unwelcome deluge of reports of sexual impropriety, and so much worse, leveled on the movie mogul.
Since the first revelations, the toll of women accusing Weinstein of gross sexual malfeasance, and worse, has steadily increased. At last count, there were 25 women accusing the powerful producer of abusing his self-perceived rights and using his influence in unsavory ways. And while actresses from the top and bottom of the box office are coming out in support of his accusers, the ball still lies on a courtside owned entirely by Weinstein. And Weinstein is not playing. He insists that while he has caused a lot of hurt to people, he has never indulged in non-consensual sex. His accusers beg to differ.
In the meantime, Weinstein's list of supporters is rapidly dwindling. His actions have been condemned on both sides of the pond, with actors like Benedict Cumberbatch, George Clooney, Judi Dench, Jennifer Lawrence, Lena Dunham, Brie Larson, Leonardo DiCaprio and Meryl Streep, among others adding their powerful voices to the censure against him. The Obamas and Hillary Clinton have also called him out, with Clinton announcing that she will pass on Weinstein's donations to her election campaign to charity.
And while the clamour is rising against him, given that he's been accused of being predatory over a period of three decades, we may just have barely scratched the surface. Here's a list of some of the allegations against him, which we will continue to update with new information:
* Rose McGowan and Ashley Judd were among the first women who went public with their allegations against Weinstein in The New York Times, which broke the story. McGowan also took to Twitter later to publicly accuse him of raping her.
* British actress Romola Garai tells The Guardian that she felt violated as an 18-year-old, when she auditioned for Weinstein in his hotel room.
* Asia Argento, Lucia Evans nee Stoller, and an unnamed third woman accuse Weinstein of rape and are among 13 women whose allegations are published by The New Yorker magazine.
* Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow join the growing list of accusers, alleging that they were harrassed by Weinstein when they were young actresses. Jolie refers to it as a 'bad experience' while Paltrow says she was propositioned by him as a 22-year-old.
* Cara Delevingne posted on Instagram, detailing an encounter with Weinstein which felt "very uncomfortable" and wherein he tried to kiss her, and suggested she and another woman present in the room kiss.
* Lea Seydoux writes an article in The Guardian detailing an encounter with Weinstein in his hotel room, where he tried to force himself on her.
* Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's manager alleges that Weinstein tried to organise a private meeting with her, in which the two would have been alone.
* Kate Beckinsale has also come forward with allegations that Weinstein invited her to his hotel room, opened the door in his bathrobe and offered her alcohol, which she declined and left. She was 17 years old, at the time.
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