Rosanna Arquette, one of the first women to share details of Harvey Weinstein’s abuse, has been closely following the New York trial that could send the disgraced Hollywood producer to prison for life.
The actor and advocate rallied at the courthouse at the start of the trial, which is now coming to a close after dramatic testimony by six women.
On break from shooting a new film in Los Angeles, Arquette talked to the Guardian about the second trial, slated for LA, how Weinstein’s attorneys have attacked the women in court, and what’s next in the movement against sexual violence.
The conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.
What has been it like for you to watch the trial unfold in New York?
I’m invested and watching very closely, as all the survivors do. We’re very supportive of all the women who have testified. It really takes a lot of courage, and it’s painful to see. The lawyers’ disgusting tactics to discredit and humiliate or try to humiliate the women and make it so that we are not believed, it’s awful. It exposes the difficulties women face when they come forward and tell the truth about their abusers.
Everyone forgets it’s Harvey Weinstein on trial, not these women. But it’s as if they are the ones who committed these egregious crimes. All they have done is come forward and name their abuser. That’s the worst part, just watching how unfair this is.
What do you see as the significance of this trial in the broader fight against Weinstein?
A lot of women around the world are looking to this trial, as they did to Christine Blasey Ford. No matter what the outcome is, Harvey Weinstein committed these crimes, and it’s known around the world what he did. These are horrific and egregious crimes.
I remember when Annabella Sciorra [who testified in New York] called me years ago, when our stories came out. The difference in her voice then, and her voice now, just being able to tell this story, to get this out of her body – there is growth there, and healing. I’m sure she will move on to helping other women speak out.
Regardless of the verdict, what do you hope comes next?
No matter what happens, this is not marking the end of our fight. We broke our silence, and we are never, ever going to be silent again. We will continue to fight for truth and justice, and we are always going to be here supporting all women. He can go to jail, and it still won’t go away. Some guys are looking for when this is going to end. But this is never ending until sexual assault and violence against women ends.
And let’s not forget boys. We’re soon going to hear a lot more about [child sexual abuse in Hollywood]. It’ll be a tsunami what’s coming next.
Will you be at the trial in Los Angeles, and what do you think that case will mean for Weinstein?
I will be there as much as I can, especially for the women who have to testify. We’re all always there in spirit. I do feel a very strong bond with the women. We’re looking forward to the criminal case we have in LA. There will be different people testifying, different charges. The trials of Harvey Weinstein are in no way, shape or form ending. More than 100 women have come forward, and there are a lot more.
I believe there are some Oscar winners who are not able to come forward – women who don’t feel safe or don’t feel comfortable to go through this. And it isn’t easy. There are still people in the industry who feel sorry for Harvey.
What do you make of Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer and the narratives she has been presenting about victims and survivors?
I don’t know any women who have respect for her whatsoever. What she has done and tried to do is horrible. But at the end of the day, she as a human being will never, ever win this battle. The whole point of doing it is a scare tactic to shut women up, to stop further women from coming forward. They are trying to show women who will testify what it will be like. But we will always have the women’s backs, they know what to expect. It’s not going to work.
It’s always been part of the narrative. It’s not new. But we’re seeing it in our face, how they are actually attacking these women. It’s really brave to show his pattern, how he does it, how a victim falls into the trap of assault, and what happens after. People don’t realize the real process of PTSD … When someone has been raped and assaulted, yes, they do stay in touch with their rapists. It plays out in many ways.
You’ve been through so much since you first spoke out. What does this moment mean to you?
As Tarana Burke, the founder of MeToo, has said, this is about healing women, and hearing their voices and allowing them to speak. Now, it’s a worldwide movement, and we’re a part of that. I can’t think about what happened to me, it’s so depressing. But moving forward, how do we as a culture heal the sickness that is the root of this? It’s gotten so much worse, the normalization of rape. It’s a worldwide epidemic and sickness and it’s horrendous. The more we shed light on it, the more we can expose this horrendous darkness that has taken over. We have a man who was able to say those words [“grab them by the pussy”] and become the president of the United States. It’s way bigger than any of us ever imagined.
For me, I really want to celebrate and honor the good men that are out there. This is not a witch-hunt. There are incredible men who are feminists who stand beside us. There are great men who we invite to be our allies.
