In the run-up to his trial in New York City,
which began in early January, I conduct-
ed interviews with 30 of them—including
one who is coming forward for the first
time to share her story of being sexually
assaulted by Weinstein when she was 16.
I’ve been working on this story for
years, beginning as an investigative
producer at NBC News. But these con-
versations, conducted over the course of
several weeks, were among the most gut-
wrenching I’ve ever been a part of. Tak-
en together, they tell a story of pain and
strength and the catharsis of truth telling,
as #MeToo lifted the burden of having to
keep what Ally Canosa calls “the deepest,
most shameful secret of my life.”
These women come from all parts
of the globe, filled with all manner of
ambitions, from acting and modeling
to screenwriting and producing. But
there’s a chilling sameness in their sto-
ries of being assaulted by Weinstein: his
flattery and mentoring, his invitation to
meet in his hotel room, his open robes,
his requests for massages, his pleading
and bullying and use of physical force.
“Plain and simple,” says Katherine Ken-
dall, “he’s from the animal kingdom.”
After their encounters, many of these
women left the movie business, deeply
disillusioned, never to return. All of them
struggled, mostly in secret, with the
implications of his abusive behavior. “I
feel like I’ve been on the run from him
most of my life,” says Lysette Anthony.
Weinstein, who is also facing charges
in Los Angeles, continues to deny the alle-
gations of rape and nonconsensual sex.But for these women, his trial represents
a first step toward rewriting the narra-
tive—not just for the man who preyed
on them, but for the broader network
that aided and abetted him. “Why did so
many accept his twisted alternate real-
ity?” asks Melissa Thompson. “These
systems must be disassembled and his
army of conspirators broken down—one
individual at a time.”The ABUSEKAJA SOKOLA: I’m from a small city in
Poland. Since I was seven years old, my
dream was to be an actress. Modeling
was something that just happened
in my life—at 15, a modeling agency
decided to sign me. The next year I
met Harvey at a party. He invited me
for lunch to discuss my acting possi-
bilities. Things happened that I didn’twant to happen, even though I was
saying no. He sexually assaulted me.
LAUREN SIVAN: My encounter with Wein-
stein was completely by chance—I
happened to sit next to him at a din-
ner. He was very charming, and I was
flattered to be holding my own with
this titan of Hollywood. He said,
“I’m an investor here. Have you seen
the restaurant? There’s a whole area
downstairs.” At that point I had no
reason not to trust him. But when I got
downstairs, I realized it was a mistake.
It was an abandoned kitchen. There
was a guy sweeping up, whom Wein-
stein told to get lost. He blocked my
way out and started to kiss me. I said,“I’m so sorry if you got the wrong
impression. I’m really not interested
that way.” Of course, I’m apologiz-
ing. Then he said something really
strange, which was, “Fine, can you
just stand there and be quiet?” And
that’s when he started masturbating
in front of me.
LYSETTE ANTHONY: Harvey Weinstein
knocked on my door one gray London
morning, pushed me against my coat
rack in my little basement hall, and
raped me. And then walked out.
ALLY CANOSA: I was sexually assaulted
by Harvey Weinstein over a number
of years to the most severe degree—
coerced, manipulated, bullied, and
emotionally abused. It was the deep-
est, most shameful secret of my life. I
really thought that as long as I never
told anyone, it could never catch up
with me, and I would be able to live
a normal life.In the two years since Harvey Weinstein
was exposed as a sexual predator,
more than 100 women have
accused him of a host of
crimes, ranging from sexual
harassment to rape.
“He started begging. ‘Just close your eyes,’ he said, ‘and it’ll all be over