Holly Hunter, who won an Academy Award for her starring role in the Miramax-distributed The Piano, says the culture exemplified by the downfallen Harvey Weinstein must be “eradicated.”
The 1993 Jane Campion-directed film, also starring Harvey Keitel, Sam Neill and Anna Paquin, won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and three Oscars. The Piano, with its sumptuous look and seriousness of mind, was like a calling card for Miramax at the time, cementing the Weinstein brothers’ indie profile and extolling its awards-winning knowhow.
Here is Hunter’s statement in full:
The recent revelations about Harvey Weinstein both sadden and infuriate me.
I had nothing but a professional relationship with him during the release of THE PIANO. He was an extreme personality, but in no way was I knowledgeable of his inappropriate and assaultive sexual activities. This particular kind of culture within the film industry—and within virtually every other walk of life you can name—must be eradicated.
To take advantage of that kind of power over another person is the lowest of the low. The destruction is deep and lasting. I join my community in standing by these courageous women.