Weinstein victim Rosanna Arquette hopes he will 'pay for his crimes'
Actress Rosanna Arquette hopes to close chapter after Weinstein's sex crimes trial
With the sex crimes trial of disgraced Hollywood movie mogul Harvey Weinstein drawing to a close - jurors began deliberations yesterday - his alleged victims who have come forward with their stories are also hoping for closure.
One of them is US actress Rosanna Arquette, 60.
She was one of the accusers and protesters outside the New York City courthouse on Jan 6, the first day of Weinstein's trial, alongside US actress Rose McGowan.
Arquette, who came into Hollywood prominence after her starring role in Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), had no qualms speaking out about her encounter with Weinstein in the documentary film Untouchable, available on Singapore-based online documentary service www.iwonder.com.
It gives inside access into his widely publicised sex scandal and features interviews with Arquette and other actresses such as Erika Rosenbaum and Paz de la Huerta, the employees of Weinstein's film company Miramax, and journalist Ronan Farrow, who broke the story.
Arquette wants justice to be served for the 80-plus women Weinstein - who has pleaded not guilty to all charges but faces life in prison if convicted - had allegedly assaulted.
Speaking to The New Paper over the phone from Los Angeles last month, she said: "I hope he will go to jail and pay for his crimes. He has bought himself out of his bad behaviour for years."
She added: "Too bad that he used his power to abuse and hurt so many people. He threw away his career and ruined his own life by assaulting women.
"The world will be looking at this trial to set a precedent for what happens to predators and those who will become (predators) in the future.
"This is a paradigm shift and it is not going away. If one participates in such crimes against women and children, there is no way to hide because they will be called out eventually."
On whether she will be able to forgive Weinstein for his actions, Arquette said she always believes in redemption and forgiveness, and stands by those words.
However, she is disappointed that he continues with his behaviour and denies any wrongdoing. Citing an incident before the trial where Weinstein, 67, reportedly behaved inappropriately at a restaurant by trying to befriend a group of younger women, Arquette said: "He had the opportunity to work on himself and look at the terrible things he has done.
"But he chose not to because he really believes that he has not done anything wrong, and that is the problem.
"We will see if that day (when he apologises) ever comes, but I don't foresee that happening."
One of Weinstein's earliest victims in the early 1990s, Arquette revealed in Untouchable that prior to rejecting his advances at the Beverly Hills hotel in Los Angeles, which included touching his neck and private parts, she was there to have dinner with him.
But when she chose not to give in, he allegedly told her that she was "making a very big mistake".
Arquette - who has starred in movies like After Hours (1985), The Big Blue (1988) and Crash (1996) - believed her career suffered after that episode.
Although she did appear in one Miramax film, Pulp Fiction (1994), she was reportedly the only starring cast member who did not have a back-end deal, which gave actors a share of the movie's profits.
She said: "I knew I was going to be in trouble because I did not participate... and when I tried to tell people, they told me to keep my mouth shut.
"The damage that he has brought onto so many women, it is a pretty unforgivable crime - especially when he went to horrible lengths to destroy our reputations and careers."
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