Kate Winslet says she intentionally did not thank Harvey Weinstein during her Oscars acceptance speech.
When Winslet took home the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2009, for her performance in The Reader, she did not mention Weinstein, whose company financed and distributed the drama.
Speaking with the Los Angeles Times, Winslet said the omission was "absolutely deliberate."
"I remember being told, 'Make sure you thank Harvey if you win.' And I remember turning around and saying, 'No I won't. No I won't,'" she recalled. "And it was nothing to do with not being grateful. If people aren't well-behaved, why would I thank him?"
When the sexual assault and harassment scandal surrounding the powerful producer broke two weeks ago, Winslet was one of the first celebrities to condemn his alleged actions in a statement to Variety, praising the dozens of women who came forth with their own stories.
Speaking to the L.A. Times, the Titanic star said that she feels a relief that the accusations have come to light.
"The fact that I'm never going to have to deal with Harvey Weinstein again as long as I live is one of the best things that's ever happened and I'm sure the feeling is universal," Winslet said.
While Winslet said that she "thankfully" was never the target of sexual harassment by Weinstein -- adding, "I somehow dodged that bullet" -- Winslet claims his bullying behavior as a producer was intolerable.
"For my whole career, Harvey Weinstein, whenever I've bumped into him, he'd grab my arm and say, 'Don't forget who gave you your first movie.' Like I owe him everything," Winslet said, referring to her debut film role in Peter Jackson's 1994 crime drama Heavenly Creatures, which Weinstein's former company, Miramax, produced.
"But that's how he operated," Winslet stated. "He was bullying and nasty. Going on a business level, he was always very, very hard to deal with — he was rude. He used to call my female agent a [vulgar name for a woman] every time he spoke to her on the telephone."
The celebrated actress went on to say that The Reader was the last time she would have ever worked for the movie mogul.
"He was always, always very, very, very unpleasant to deal with. Very," Winslet said. "I won't be pushed around or bullied by anyone. I was bullied as a child. Never again. Certainly not by Harvey Weinstein."
In the wake of two massive exposes in The New York Times and The New Yorker -- in which a number of women accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct -- many other actresses and celebrities have come forth over the last two weeks with allegations against the producer, stretching back over three decades.
The list of Weinstein's accusers includes actresses such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Rose McGowan, Cara Delevingne, Asia Argento, Mira Sorvino, Rosanna Arquette, and dozens of others.
While many in Hollywood have suggested that Weinstein's alleged actions were frequently rumored among celebrities, actress and singer Courtney Love actually addressed them publicly over a decade ago.
In a video, discovered by TMZ on Saturday, from Comedy Central's 2005 roast of Pamela Anderson, Love was walking the red carpet and was asked by comedian Natasha Leggero what advice she had for young aspiring actresses who want to move to Hollywood.
"Ummm… I’ll get libeled if I say it," Love says in the video, before quickly stating, "If Harvey Weinstein invites you to a private party in his Four Seasons [hotel room], don't go."
Love responded to TMZ's report, claiming, "Although I wasn't one of his victims, I was eternally banned by CAA for speaking out against Harvey Weinstein."
A spokesperson for Weinstein, Sallie Hofmeister, issued a statement to The New Yorker last week, saying in part, "Any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr. Weinstein. Mr. Weinstein has further confirmed that there were never any acts of retaliation against any women for refusing his advances. Mr. Weinstein obviously can’t speak to anonymous allegations, but with respect to any women who have made allegations on the record, Mr. Weinstein believes that all of these relationships were consensual."
In the wake of the ever-growing scandal, Weinstein was fired from The Weinstein Company, the independent film studio he co-founded with his brother, Bob Weinstein, in 2005. His wife of 10 years, Georgina Chapman, also announced that she planned to leave him, and he was recently expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
For more on the ongoing scandal and the many accusations leveled against Weinstein, watch the video below.