Harvey Weinstein responds to Julia Stiles saying she ‘felt so slimy’ filming ‘Down to You’ dance scene

nypost.com:

she “felt so slimy” filming a specific scene at the now-disgraced filmmaker’s behest for the 2000 rom-com “Down to You.”On Brett Goldstein’s “Films To Be Buried With” podcast last week, the 43-year-old actress said that Weinstein took creative control of the reshoots on the film directed by Kris Isacsson and forced her to do a dance sequence. “I love to dance, but it was dumb,” she recalled. “It was like, ‘OK, let’s get her on a pool table.’ It wasn’t even imaginative.

And I felt so slimy doing it the whole time. I don’t know if that actually made it in the film, but it was annoying, ’cause I was like, this is so cheap and it’s not adding to the story.”Weinstein, who is currently behind bars serving a 16-year prison sentence after his 2022 rape conviction in California, reacted to Stiles’ comments in a statement to The Daily Beast Sunday.“Julia Stiles is a talented and charismatic actress who naturally connects with audiences,” Weinstein said. “Beyond her acting skills, she’s also a fantastic dancer, which was something fans really wanted at the time.”“I included that scene in ‘Down to You’ to enhance the film’s appeal, and her chemistry with Freddie Prinze Jr.

made it work seamlessly,” he continued. “As a filmmaker, I’ve always sought ways to elevate a project, and when I see an opportunity to make a film better, I take it.”Weinstein added, “That same instinct led David O.