Ellen Pompeo addresses controversial past 'two to tango' comments about Weinstein and sexual harassment

In 2018, Pompeo talked about her experience with the producer and said women bore 'some responsibility' 
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Megan C. Hills24 April 2020

Ellen Pompeo has responded after her controversial 2018 comments about sexual harassment in Hollywood have re-emerged online, in which she said at a Q&A that it takes “two to tango” in response to a question about sexual harassment and the Time’s Up movement.

The Grey’s Anatomy star at the time said that women bore “some responsibility” for the way that they “present ourselves”, adding that women were “aware of our power of seduction” and needed to learn to “balance” it as well as learn what we are “willing to tolerate”.

She also appeared to cite a personal encounter she had with convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein as an example, saying that he “never did anything appropriate” to her and that she “didn’t think there was anything wrong” - though added she would not have met him at night.

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Pompeo said on Twitter yesterday that the comments were “out of context” and said she didn’t know Weinstein was a rapist at the time.

She said, “Hey girls sorry if video clips are upsetting!! It's out of context & it’s too serious a subject to talk about on a platform like this.”

She added that Twitter was “not a healthy place for topics this serious” and urged people who had been abused or assaulted to “seek guidance from a therapist.”

Harvey Weinstein has been charged with a further six counts of sexual assault
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She continued, “For those who feel offended or are taking this personally this panel was 2 + years ago and it was way before the whole stories of the women came out. I ertainly didn’t know he was a rapist at that point... that took s**t to a whole different level.”

After it was later clarified to her that Ronan Farrow’s New York Times expose on Weinstein had already been published at that point, detailing the stories of women who had been sexually assaulted by the disgraced producer, she said that she “didn’t read it.”

She continued, “I only was really following the story on the news once the trial began."

Pompeo also said of her comments that she was talking about “harassment…not assault. Two different things.”

“I was speaking about MY experience of being harassed in Hollywood and my outlook on it for years before times up,” she continued. “Women had to put up with harassment and still do on a regular basis ...it was just part of the job as it is in a lot or all professions ...we couldn’t complain like we can now. If we complained we would be out and the man would stay.”

“MY way of coping w/ whatever situations I’ve been in is not a comment on how other women handle things... again Thank God we can speak up now but once again assault and harassment are different both bad but different. Not sure of harassment is seen by law enforcement as a crime,” she said.

Pompeo’s original comments came during a Q&A session at the Oxford Union, after she was asked about what changes needed to be made in Hollywood in order for the Time’s Up and Me Too movements to have a lasting impact.

The Grey’s Anatomy star said that “many things need to happen”, which included making sure that people “need to understand that they will not get away with [harassment]” and that women also had to bear “some responsibility.”

She said, “Everybody is capable of harassment of any kind. People need to understand that it won’t be tolerated number one. And then, I think people need to be educated. I’m not going to make excuses for these pigs in Hollywood who do these disgusting things to women."

"However, I do think it’s generations of men - these men were brought up by older men and they clearly watched other men and they watched the behaviour that they got away with. So for centuries and centuries this behaviour, these men have learned this behaviour.”

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She continued, “I think women need to also be responsible for the signals that we put out, for the messages that we put out and the way we present ourselves.”

She claimed she would “certainly go into [an audition] room with the idea that ‘this director needs to fall in love with me to give me this part’” and recounted a story about how she learned about the power of seduction at 5 years old when she batted her eyelashes at a candy store in an attempt to get more sweets.

She continued, “We’re aware of our power of seduction very early on and we use it. In a lot of instances, it does come in handy but there has to be a balance and there has to be a line. But I think there has to be some responsibility, not all. But it takes two to tango for sure.”

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She said that her comments were “not to blame the victims”, then recounted a personal two and a half-hour meeting with Weinstein - one which was set up by her agent.

Harvey Weinstein arrives at the Manhattan Criminal Court ahead of the verdict
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“He never said anything inappropriate to me. He never made any sort of physical advance to me,” she said.

Clarifying that it was the “middle of the daytime” and that she wasn’t alone with him, she continued, “I didn’t think there was anything wrong. I wouldn’t have gone into that room at night but he did nothing inappropriate [to] me. Now had he, I would have picked up that glass and smashed him across the side of the face with it.”

“So it’s all what we’re willing to tolerate and our self-esteem, what are we going to put up with and what are we going to compromise to be liked, to be loved, to be accepted,” she continued. “How bad do you want to be in show business?”

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Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison in March after he was found guilty of sexual assault and rape.

While in prison, Weinstein tested positive for coronavirus and has since had a new felony sexual battery by restraint charge added to a list of further California charges including rape.

Weinstein denies all charges.