'Stand up to a bully': Goldie Hawn reveals how she stood up to Harvey Weinstein when he 'undermined' her and Madonna
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Goldie Hawn said that she was originally slated to play the lead in the 1980s mega-musical 'Chicago', but the now-disgraced film mogul Harvey Weinstein conspired to age her out of the part. Hawn, 77, claimed she was due to star in the movie and produce it almost four decades ago before Weinstein, 70, tried to substitute an actress 20 years her junior, as per Variety. Paris Hilton reportedly accused Weinstein of attempting to follow her into a bathroom at Cannes.
Furthermore, Hawn revealed to Variety that she and Madonna were scheduled to star in a Weinstein-produced film version of 'Chicago' before the director abruptly changed the project's plans. The actress claimed that "Harvey basically undermined me and Madonna" by assigning her the role of Velma Kelly while giving the 'Like a Virgin' star the part of Roxie Hart.
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'Harvey basically undermined me and Madonna'
Hawn claims she was originally scheduled to play the lead in the 1980s adaptation of 'Chicago', which finally featured Renée Zellweger replacing Madonna. "Harvey basically undermined me and Madonna," Hawn told the magazine. "I really don’t know how she felt about it. You know, she just went with the tide," Hawn continued. According to reports, Weinstein commissioned a new screenplay for the movie, which now portrayed Hawn's character Velma Kelly as a 23-year-old, 20 years younger than Hawn.
The actress from 'Overboard' was upset with Weinstein and approached him about the modifications that jeopardized her involvement in the production. She stated to Variety, "I said, ‘Don’t f–k with me. Because I know just what you’re doing. We made a deal." Although Hawn never ended up playing the part, Weinstein did pay her a payment since she agreed to star in the project. She continued, "You stand up to a bully, and sometimes you win," as per Daily Mail.
She appeared to be gone from 'Chicago', which stagnated until it was resurrected as the 2002 smash musical 'Chicago', with Catherine Zeta-Jones playing Velma and starring alongside Richard Gere and John C Reilly. Zeta-Jones later won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for the performance.
Weinstein's fall from grace
Weinstein, who was renowned for building and ending careers, was once the most influential producer in Hollywood. However, a number of women came forward in 2017 alleging that the movie magnate had raped and sexually abused them, which led to his spectacular fall from grace. As a result of his misdeeds, Weinstein is presently serving a 23-year prison term in New York.
The power player was found guilty in Los Angeles of three counts of rape and sexual assault and was sentenced to an additional 16 years in prison last month. From behind bars, Weinstein responded to Hawn's accusations. "Acting roles were always chosen based on what was best for the project, artistically and financially," he said in an interview with Variety.