The omnipresence of Harvey Weinstein: the so-called “God” of Hollywood was left with believers

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What you should know about the trial against Harvey Weinstein 1:23

(CNN Spanish) - Harvey Weinstein was never the typical Hollywood producer; At least not one of those who being absolute kings of the industry prefer to keep a low profile before the outside world, letting it be the directors of their films and especially their stars who speak for them. Harvey Weinstein, on the other hand, did like reflectors.

His parties were always the most desirable in the industry because, due to his fascination with those movie stars, some of which he himself created, everyone wanted to be on the guest list.

On YouTube there is a video compilation of stars that, like Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, thank you in 1998 for giving you your first chance. Figures like Renée Zellweger or Penelope Cruz mentioned it in a special way in their acceptance speeches when they won their first Oscar. Nor is the gratitude of the very excited Gwyneth Paltrow when she also won the Oscar more than 20 years ago.

But not only the young talent thanked this man of different nicknames. Meryl Streep herself, winning the Golden Globe for her role as Margaret Thatcher, referred to him as "God."

Harvey Weinstein and Meryl Streep in 2012 (Credit: Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

And his entourage of fans was not limited to the Hollywood community. In Washington, Harvey Weinstein managed to forge strong alliances with important figures of the Democratic Party.

According to information from the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks the financing of political campaigns in the United States, Weinstein helped raise a million and a half dollars between 1990 and 2016 for the electoral efforts of that party and especially the Clinton In the specific case of the 2016 Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, the aid included a celebrity-packed event at the producer's house in New York, where everyone could make their donations. In fact, when the scandal against the producer broke out in October 2017, many wondered why the Clintons took time to react to the news. Five days after the journalistic investigations were published, Hillary Clinton said, in a statement, to be surprised and dismayed by the revelations against Weinstein. "The behavior described by women who have dared to speak cannot be tolerated," he added.

Weinstein was also a friend of the Obama. He repeatedly visited them at the White House and during an event there for film students, then-lady Michelle Obama described him as a wonderful person and good friend. After the revelations against the producer, the Obama issued a statement in which they said: "Michelle and I are outraged at the reports on Harvey Weinstein."

The Weinstein brand was born in the 70s, when together with his brother and eternal collaborator, Bob Weinstein, they integrated a company that produced musical concerts. The shared passion for cinema led them both to found their own film distributor, "Miramax", from where they supported modest productions but of social impact. It was in 1989, with the launch of "Sex, Lies and Video", by Steven Soderbergh, where they positioned themselves as a large independent production house.

One of the nicknames this producer had was that of “Harvey, Hands of Scissors” for his ruthless way of cutting the duration of the films made by their directors, whether or not they were established filmmakers. Tarantino had to divide his movie "Kill Bill" into two parts to avoid precisely a massacre in the editing room. And recently, today's multi-award-winning Korean director “Bong Joon Ho” recalled how Weinstein tried to cut his 2013 movie “Snowpiercer,” forcing the Korean filmmaker to adduce family and personal reasons to save one of his scenes, which in Reality was not true but it helped him with his goal.

May 25, 2018 - Harvey Weinstein, the dishonored movie mogul whose alleged sexual assaults caused the #MeToo international movement, is handed over to the New York Police Department. He was charged with rape and sexual abuse in cases involving three women. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. (Shannon Stapleton / Reuters)

The fall of Weinstein and the birth of the "Me Too" have served so that today more and more issues of harassment and sexual assault are being addressed at the workplace. Last year we saw the premiere of a series like "The Morning Show" and recently that of the movie "Bombshell"; the latter one of the most commented in the recently concluded awards season. Both projects were framed in the world of journalism, but a couple of weeks ago "The Assistant" was released in the United States, an independent film, such as those supported by Weinstein, where the protagonist witnesses the abuse that a powerful executive of a film firm teaches left and right. The criticisms have been positive and without being based on the Weinstein case, the comparisons have not been long in coming. And now, before the imminence of a verdict, there will be those who are waiting for him to write, now yes, the end of his own film.

Harvey weinstein