Days after the sexual-assault and harassment allegations against Harvey Weinstein became public, his close friend and collaborator Quentin Tarantino said he was “stunned and heartbroken†by the news, but needed time before making a full statement. That statement has now come in the form of an interview with the New York Times’ Jodi Kantor, one of the reporters who broke the Weinstein story. In the interview, Tarantino admits that he was aware of some of Weinstein’s alleged abuses, but did not do enough to stop them. “I knew enough to do more than I did,†Tarantino said. “There was more to it than just the normal rumors, the normal gossip. It wasn’t secondhand. I knew he did a couple of these things.†The director dated Mira Sorvino and heard her story of being sexually harassed by Weinstein, and knew of Rose McGowan’s settlement with him. Another actress, who has chosen to stay anonymous, told him similar things. Despite this, Tarantino says he mentally compartmentalized all the stories as one-off incidents.
Now, Tarantino says he regrets maintaining his relationship with Weinstein, whose studio Miramax distributed his debut Reservoir Dogs, and most of his films since. “I wish I had taken responsibility for what I heard,†he told the paper. “If I had done the work I should have done then, I would have had to not work with him.†He calls on other men in Hollywood who turned a blind eye to Weinstein to grapple with their own complicity: “I’m calling on the other guys who knew more to not be scared. Don’t just give out statements. Acknowledge that there was something rotten in Denmark. Vow to do better by our sisters.â€