Lupita Nyong'o Says She too was Sexually Harassed by Weinstein

Oscar Winning actress Lupita Nyong’o has said that she was sexually harassed by movie producer Harvey Weinstein. Nyong’o wrote an Op-ed in The New York Times, detailing her experiences with Weinstein.  She first met Weinstein when she was a Yale School of Drama student in 2011. The Star Wars actress further added that he invited her to his house for a screening, and asked her for a massage. She said that she didn’t want that, and tried to offer him a massage to buy herself time. He then propositioned her for sex.

In a powerful op-ed, Lupita Nyong’o revealed she too was harassed by Harvey Weinstein pic.twitter.com/8yYwpqxclF

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“If I wanted to be an actress, then I had to be willing to do this sort of thing,” she wrote in a personal essay for The New York Times. “He said he had dated Famous Actress X and Y and look where that had gotten them.”

Nyong’o said that after allegations by 50 or more women came to light against Weinstein, she decided to speak up.

“Though the incident with Harvey had made me uncomfortable, I was able to explain and justify it to myself, and shelve it as an awkward moment. His offer to me to be a part of the HBO show was a very attractive one and I was excited about it, especially as I would be graduating in another year. I didn’t know how to proceed without jeopardizing my future,” she writes.

He said things to her like how he was unsure about her career. She said her survival plan was to avoid him.  She didn’t know that there were others in the industry who had suffered similar or worse incidents.

Weinstein was accused of sexual harassment and abuse of women in the industry. Over a dozen women opened up about their instances of unsolicited sexual advances that Weinstein asked of them.  Three women have accused the powerful film executive of rape.

Also Read: Harvey Weinstein fired from Motion Pictures Academy