Angelina Jolie says she fought with Brad Pitt over alleged Weinstein incident
Actor said it ‘hurt’ that Pitt continued to star in Weinstein’s films after she told him about alleged attempted assault
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Angelina Jolie has said she was upset with her ex-husband Brad Pitt for working with Harvey Weinstein after the disgraced movie mogul and convicted rapist allegedly attempted to assault her.
In a new interview withThe Guardian, the Maleficent star – who has previously claimed that she was sexually harassed by Weinstein – spoke about an incident that allegedly occurred while working on the 1998 film Playing By Heart.
“If you get yourself out of the room, you think he attempted but didn’t, right?” Jolie said. “The truth is that the attempt and the experience of the attempt is an assault… It was beyond a pass, it was something I had to escape.”
She continued: “I stayed away and warned people about him. I remember telling Jonny [Lee Miller], my first husband, who was great about it, to spread the word to other guys – don’t let girls go alone with him. I was asked to do The Aviator, but I said no because he was involved. I never associated or worked with him again. It was hard for me when Brad did.”
Pitt, who met Jolie in 2004, starred in Quentin Tarantino’s 2009 film Inglourious Basterds, which was co-produced by the Weinstein Company.
In the interview, Jolie alleged that in 2012, Pitt approached Weinstein to work as a producer for the noir thriller Killing Them Softly, which the Weinstein Company later distributed. “We fought about it. Of course it hurt,” she said.
The Independent has contacted Pitt’s representative for comment.
Speaking to TMZ through his assistant, Weinstein, who was recently extradited from New York to California to face multiple new rape and sexual assault charges, claimed that Jolie was making up the allegations in order to boost sales for her book.
“THERE WAS NEVER an assault, and NEVER an attempt to assault,” he said. “It is brazenly untrue and clickbait publicity.
“You’re Angelina Jolie, every male and female in the world, I’m sure, shows interest in you. Is the whole world assaulting you?”
According to Gwyneth Paltrow, Pitt threatened to kill Weinstein for allegedly sexually harassing her (she was Pitt’s girlfriend) when she was 22 years old. She alleged that he told Weinstein: “If you ever make her feel uncomfortable again, I’ll kill you.”
Jolie is currently promoting her book, Know Your Rights and Claim Them: A Guide for Youth.
The book and much of Jolie’s activism are dedicated to protecting the rights of children around the world.
If you have been raped or sexually assaulted, you can contact your nearest Rape Crisis organisation for specialist, independent and confidential support. For more information, visit their website here.