Ashley Judd publicly announced she forgives Harvey Weinstein for his alleged sexual harassment on Thursday's episode of "Good Morning America."
The actress sat down with ABC News' Diane Sawyer for a pre-recorded interview. The interview follows a report in The New York Times earlier this month on the dozens of sexual assault allegations against Weinstein .
Judd, 49, caught the attention of the Hollywood mogul soon after moving to Los Angeles to pursue a movie career in Hollywood.
“I had no warning,” she said of her first meeting with Weinstein.
“I remember the lurch when I went to the desk and I said, ‘Uh, Mr. Weinstein … is he on the, on the patio?’ And they said, ‘He’s in his room.’ I was like, ‘Ugh, you’re kidding me!'”
But she went up to his room because she "had a business appointment" with him. "That's his pattern of sexual predation. That was how he rolled," Judd said
The actress claimed she denied Weinstein’s repeated requests for massages and for her to watch him shower.
"He kept coming back at me with all this other stuff. And finally I just said, 'When I win an Oscar in one of your movies, OK?' And he was like, 'Yeah, when you get nominated.' And I said, 'No, when I win an Oscar!' I just fled," she said.
Judd continued, “Am I proud of that? I’m of two minds. The part that shames myself says, ‘No.’ The part of me that understands the way shame works says, ‘That was absolutely brilliant. Good job, kid. You got out of there. Well done.’ It’s a very important word, ‘shame,’ and it’s a very important thing to talk about.”
>> Related: David Schwimmer commended for offer he made to woman interviewing him in his hotel room
In the weeks since the Times article, more than 65 women have come forward with their own allegations against Weinstein. He issued an apology for inappropriate behavior, but denied the allegations that he raped several women.
Judd said she hopes Weinstein learns from the scandal, and said she hopes she can find the right words to say if she ever comes face-to-face with him again.
About the Author
