Consider, for example, what Scottish film director Michael Caton-Jones told BuzzFeed News this week about a casting dispute with Weinstein.
In 1998, he was in line to direct the Miramax-produced crime drama B. Monkey, and his first choice for the lead was black British actor Sophie Okonedo.
Recalling a meeting between himself and Weinstein, Caton-Jones said: “Harvey kept saying to me, ‘Do you think she is fuckable?’”
The frustrated director replied, “Don’t screw up the casting of this film because you want to get laid,” which apparently incensed Weinstein.
After Caton-Jones was unceremoniously fired from the film following the conversation, Variety called him for a statement.
He said he told the interviewer about harassment claims against Weinstein that he had heard about, ending the conversation with: “I don’t cast films according to Harvey Weinstein’s erection.”
According to Caton-Jones, the reporter laughed. (In the end, Asia Argento, an Italian actor, got the role, and last week she was among the many women who publicly accused Weinstein of assaulting them.)
If we are to discern a general message about black women (and other women of color) from the product churned out by Hollywood, it is that they are not seen as leading role material, and that is intertwined with the idea that they are not desirable “trophies.”
At the very least, their near-absence in starring roles suggests a deep disinterest.
After all, dominating and “winning” a trophy depends on the idea that other people want to win it too.
Repeatedly questioning Okonedo’s “fuckability” was a clear view into Weinstein’s mind, not just as a film producer but as a man.
Looking at the list of women who have accused him of harassment and assault, it’s clear he was going after not only culture-certified “trophies” but also those he felt he could suppress or control.
Their fuckability was the currency he wanted, regardless of their consent.
It’s important to note whom Harvey Weinstein allegedly went after, and by extension, those he did not.
