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Harvey Weinstein Is the (Whispered) Talk of Hollywood

Kevin Costner, who is producing and starring in a planned Weinstein-made series called “Yellowstone,” was “not available due to his filming schedule,” his spokesman emailed.

Not everyone has developed a sudden case of laryngitis.

“It took enormous courage for these women to come forward, and I applaud them,” Amy Pascal, a producer and former studio chief, said in an interview. She was speaking of actresses like Ashley Judd, who told The Times that she had been sexually harassed by Mr. Weinstein. The actor Seth Rogen wrote on Twitter on Saturday, after a lawyer advising Mr. Weinstein resigned, “I believe all the women coming forward about Harvey Weinstein’s sexual harassment. It takes bravery to do so.”

But bold condemnation of Mr. Weinstein remained sparse on Sunday, especially by celebrities, many of whom seized on social media to harshly criticize President Trump for the “Access Hollywood” tape, made public a year ago this weekend, in which he boasted about kissing and grabbing women. Hollywood also denounced Roger Ailes, the former Fox News chief, and Bill O’Reilly, the former Fox News host, when women came forward with sexual harassment accusations against them. “Fox watchers turn a blind eye to predators; no morality at all,” Bette Midler wrote on Twitter at the time, with celebrities like Rosie O’Donnell, Chelsea Handler and Cher also offering biting rebukes.

(Mr. Trump dismissed his comments as “locker room talk,” and Mr. Ailes and Mr. O’Reilly denied the accusations against them.)

Many people online have noticed, in particular, conservatives.

“Thoughts on Harvey Weinstein?” Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of President Trump, asked Jimmy Kimmel on Twitter on Saturday. Mr. Kimmel, who has become an outspoken critic of the administration and, like most of his fellow late-night talk show hosts, had not yet said anything on the air about Mr. Weinstein, responded, “It’s disgusting.”

That led some fans to thank him. “Jimmy Kimmel and Seth Rogen thank you for addressing the Harvey Weinstein situation,” wrote a Twitter user named Margaret. “Silence from most celebrities is gross.”

Photo

The film producer Harvey Weinstein.

Credit
Yana Paskova for The New York Times

Some people in Hollywood contend that Mr. Weinstein is different from Mr. O’Reilly and Mr. Trump, because, to a degree, he fessed up.

While the volcanic Mr. Weinstein is reviled — privately — by wide swaths of the entertainment industry, he also has a lot of friends. One producer who has worked repeatedly with Mr. Weinstein said that he wasn’t speaking out because “I happen to think the world of the guy.”

Mr. Weinstein made a lot of careers, starting at Miramax in the 1990s and then at the Weinstein Company, which was founded in 2005. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck might not be stars without “Good Will Hunting,” released by Miramax in 1997. Quentin Tarantino can credit Mr. Weinstein with getting “Pulp Fiction” and “Kill Bill” into theaters. Gwyneth Paltrow thanked Mr. Weinstein and Miramax for “their undying support of me,” when she accepted the best actress trophy for “Shakespeare in Love” at the 1999 Academy Awards.

But silence works both ways, Ms. Eller pointed out. “It’s striking that nobody has come to Harvey’s defense, either,” she said.

Especially considering that Mr. Weinstein has tried to rally support. According to two people briefed on the matter, who naturally spoke on the condition of anonymity, he reached out to top agents at William Morris Endeavor and Creative Artists Agency and asked them to sign a letter of support and release it publicly.

They said no.

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