US director and actor Vincent Gallo poses during a photocall for his film "The Brown Bunny" at the 56th International Film Festival in Cannes, May 21, 2003. Gallo's film entry is one of twenty in competition for the Palme d'Or (Golden Palm) at the 12-day film festival on the French Riviera. (Reuters)
Vincent Gallo seems to believe that some of Harvey Weinstein’s accusers weren’t victims.
“I was close to Asia Argento, but we were never engaged,” the 46-year-old wrote Thursday in a bizarre stream-of-consciousness open letter in AnotherMan. “I do remember though threatening Harvey Weinstein for what Asia claimed he did to her.”
Argento, 42, previously accused Weinstein of sexual assaulting her when she was 21.
The actor-director then insinuated that he was the real victim in the scenario.
Asia Argento in 2014. (Reuters)
“That created a real enemy in Harvey who certainly went out of his way to marginalize my work and my opportunities as much as he could. By calling him out then I was his enemy and no one from the press would repeat any of my claims against him,” he alleged. “My clash with him was costly to me in a real way.”
“Naturally, it felt bad when, instead of speaking out along with me, Asia then denied and changed her story and went on to work with him, carry on a personal relationship with him, and repeat additional things I said about him to further enrage him against me,” continued the writer-director of the critically reviled “Brown Bunny.” “Her appearance in recent press regarding Harvey is very uncomfortable for me.”
He added, “What if, instead of taking a $100,000 payoff to remain silent, Rose McGowan filed charges against Harvey Weinstein at the time of her incident? How many future incidents would she have prevented?”
McGowan, 44, accused Weinstein of raping her in 1997.
Weinstein has repeatedly denied any non-consensual sexual encounters and also alleged that McGowan demanded settlement money.
Rose McGowan. (Reuters)
“Harvey Weinstein is a brutal pig, yes,” Gallo wrote, “but I really wish it wasn’t those two particular girls getting glorified for now saying so.”
A rep for Weinstein told Page Six in a statement that Weinstein “was never angry with Vincent Gallo and always thought he was a talented actor and director.”
“The notion of him feeling that he was blackballed is nonsense and Mr. Weinstein never felt any ill-will towards him; a lot of this has been misconstrued,” the rep said. “Mr. Weinstein is pleased Mr. Gallo also confirms that he was in a personal and consensual relationship with Ms. Argento — as did Ms. Argento at the time.”
Reps for Argento and McGowan did not immediately return requests for comment.
This story originally appeared in the New York Post.
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