INTERVIEW: Survivors of Weinstein speak out on ID’s ‘Breaking Now’
Image courtesy of Investigation Discovery / Provided by press site with permission.
Movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, accused of rape and sexual misconduct by numerous women, was found guilty of a criminal sexual act in the first degree and third-degree rape earlier this year, according to news reports. In early March, he was sentenced to 23 years in prison.
Investigation Discovery, the top true-crime network, is diving deeper into the Weinstein scandal by giving voice to a few of the brave women who stepped forward with their stories. Harvey Weinstein: ID Breaking Now premieres Sunday, April 12 at 10 p.m. and is available to stream afterward.
The TV special promises new details about the heinous crimes, plus many survivor testimonials, including stories from Rosanna Arquette, Amber Gutierrez, Tarale Wulff and Katherine Kendall. In addition, Weinstein’s former assistant, Rowena Chiu, is interviewed in the hour-long special, as well as Seth Freedman, “Weinstein’s personal spy,” according to the network.
Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Thomas Cutler, executive producer of Breaking Now. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
What can TV viewers expect from Harvey Weinstein: ID Breaking Now?
This ID special brings unique access to key moments in the Weinstein story. Crucial moments in the trial, court records of witness testimony and interviews with key players will tell this powerful story. ID secured an exclusive interview with Seth Freedman, who acted as Weinstein’s personal spy. How did he help Weinstein orchestrate smear campaigns? How was Weinstein able to silence these women for decades, and were there missed opportunities to bring Weinstein to justice? The heart of this show is the personal stories of four of the women who have fought for so long for justice.
It’s important to hear from survivors in this case and others like it. Was it difficult to bring together these powerful voices?
Many of them, like the actress Rosanna Arquette, want to tell their story. They want to talk about justice and ways to heal and move forward. After all, this case was pivotal for the #MeToo movement.
How much new detail is given in the special?
The new piece of the puzzle is our exclusive interview with Seth Freedman, formerly of Black Cube, an Israeli private investigation company. He gives stunning detail about how he worked with Weinstein and his legal team to get close to Weinstein’s victims.
How much research goes into a TV special like this?
ITN Productions produced this special for ID and brought unique access through its own news archive. We put this show together in less than a month, which is almost unheard of, because we wanted to tell the whole story to our viewers right after Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison.
What does the future look like for ID Breaking Now?
We are looking at a plethora of other riveting cases in the news today where we can provide unique access and tell the story better, and faster, than anyone else.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Harvey Weinstein: ID Breaking Now, executive produced by Thomas Cutler, premieres Sunday, April 12 at 10 p.m. and will be available to stream afterward. Click here for more information.
