Peter Jackson Reveals Harvey Weinstein Got Him to Blacklist Ashley Judd, Mira Sorvino

The blacklist still exists in Hollywood — and it seems Harvey Weinstein deployed it to devastating effect.

Many of the women who have accused the producer of sexual harassment and assault said they didn't speak out against him earlier because they feared retaliation. And now, they have confirmation of that. "Lord of the Rings" director Peter Jackson revealed that Weinstein advised him not to cast Ashley Judd and Mira Sorvino — two actresses who rejected the producer's advances.

"I recall Miramax telling us they were a nightmare to work with and we should avoid them at all costs. This was probably in 1998," Jackson told New Zealand's Stuff. "At the time, we had no reason to question what these guys were telling us — but in hindsight, I realize that this was very likely the Miramax smear campaign in full swing."

He added, "I now suspect we were fed false information about both of these talented women — and as a direct result their names were removed from our casting list."

At the time, Weinstein's Miramax was working on the early stages of Jackson's "LOTR." Eventually, they disagreed on the number of installments and Jackson took the project to New Line.

Sorvino told the Hollywood Reporter that she couldn't be certain Weinstein blacklisted her. But she had her suspicions when movie roles dried up, despite having won an Oscar. She tweeted her response to Jackson's story:

Just seeing this after I awoke, I burst out crying. There it is, confirmation that Harvey Weinstein derailed my career, something I suspected but was unsure. Thank you Peter Jackson for being honest. I'm just heartsick https://t.co/ljK9NqICbm

— Mira Sorvino (@MiraSorvino) December 15, 2017

Judd also tweeted:

I remember this well. https://t.co/wctEhESAS9

— ashley judd (@AshleyJudd) December 15, 2017

Weinstein is denying Jackson's claims, saying New Line oversaw casting decisions once it took over the movies. His rep noted, "Until Ashley Judd wrote a piece for Variety two years ago, no one at the company knew that she had a complaint and she was cast in two other films by Mr. Weinstein — 'Frida' and 'Crossing Over' — and Mira Sorvino was always considered for other films as well."

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