Harvey Weinstein once threatened a journalist with a baseball bat
In Down and Dirty Pictures: Miramax, Sundance and the Rise of Independent Film, the riveting book by Peter Biskind on cinema in the 1990s, the now convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein plays a central character.
Published in 2005, more than a decade before the accusations that saw him outed as the vile sexual predator that he is and birthed the #MeToo movement that continues to challenge a misogynistic industry, Biskind’s book paints a fascinating portrait of a brutish man pivotal in shaping cinema as we know it today. It also reaffirms that Weinstein had been a threatening figure before his rape and assault cases came to light.
Countless stories throughout the book showcase a man with an unbridled temper, a lack of a moral compass, a complete disregard for ethics and an unsettling knack for muscling directors, actors and crewmembers out of money rightfully owed to them. But in the introduction to his book, Biskind recounts a particularly telling anecdote of his first introduction to the Weinstein brother, where he was summoned to Harvey’s office in the Miramax building.
Sitting on a leather couch opposite the producer’s desk, specifically designed so that visitors would be looking up at the imposing figure of the Weinstein brother, Biskind was indirectly, but very purposefully, threatened with a baseball bat. Biskind describes the man as a “mini-Mussolini”, and like all dictators, he had a vast network of spies and informants who, through fear, respect or both, would constantly feed information back to their tyrannical oppressor.
Catching wind that a journalist was planning on writing a book that would feature him, his company and his movies prominently, Weinstein invited the author for a little sit down. Clearly, he held Don Corleone’s words to heart: “Hold your friends close and your enemies closer”.
After Biskind was seated, the producer politely interrogated him on his intentions, nonchalantly batting away ideas like Biskind’s proposed book as something that “doesn’t make money”. Instead, turning on the seedy charm he was known for, he coaxed out of the journalist another dream project, wholly independent and unrelated to the book in question.
Nearly falling for it, Biskind regrettably revealed a secret passion project he’d been nursing, to which Weinstein bellowed, “That’s a terrific idea! That could make millions.” The journalist had the fortitude to decline and instead charged ahead with the planned request for an interview with the Miramax co-founder but couldn’t help but notice a baseball bat propped up in the corner.
Reading his mind, Weinstein picked up the bat, then in an act of self-deprecating humour, shouted, “Matthew, get in here! It’s time for your flogging!” The idea was to jokingly play on the notion of himself being a vicious and violent tyrant, alluding to a staff member due for a beating. The moment passed, and the producer eventually agreed to a series of extensive and revealing interviews.
However, Biskind was sufficiently rattled by the incident. While it may have been a ‘joke’, later interviews, encounters, and discussions with other Miramax staff members would all confirm the same thing – the bat was not a usual staple of Harvey Weinstein’s office.
