Sam Rockwell was apparently left stunned after Harvey Weinstein brazenly snubbed Alfred Molina in a restaurant, two years before the disgraced movie mogul was exposed as a sexual predator.
The actor was having dinner with Molina shortly after the Spider-Man 2 actor subtly criticised Weinstein, two years ahead of the New York Times exposé that led to Weinstein’s rape conviction.
In a new interview with The Independent, Molina shared his experience of working with Weinstein while starring on the 2002 Miramax-distributed film Frida, which was led by Salma Hayek as Mexican painter Frida Kahlo.
Molina accused Weinstein of bullying Hayek, who was a co-producer on the film, and recounted one “preposterous” incident where Weinstein questioned why “she wasn’t playing ‘sexy’”.
Two years before the 2017 exposé, which featured Hayek’s allegations against Weinstein, Molina praised the actor’s abilities as a producer in public, stating: “If Salma had been white and male, she would have been bigger than Harvey Weinstein.”
It turns out this remark did not go down well with the movie mogul, which Molina swiftly discovered following an awkward encounter during a dinner with friends, including Rockwell.
“There were four of us sitting at the table. Sam Rockwell, me, and a couple of other hefty actors,” Molina said. “And Harvey Weinstein came in. Shook everyone’s hand. Sam, then the next guy, then the next guy. And when he got to me… he just kept walking. He totally blanked me.
Molina continued: “Sam Rockwell’s at one end and I’m at the other end, and Sam goes, ‘what the f*** did you do!?’”
Find The Independent’s full interview with Molina here.
The actor is currently promoting new Prime Video series Three Pines, which premieres on 2 December.
