Lea Seydoux Says Harvey Weinstein "Jumped on," Tried to Kiss Her in Hotel

The 'Blue Is the Warmest Color' actress is the latest high-profile figure to claim the Weinstein Co. founder harassed her.

French actress Lea Seydoux — known for roles in such films as Blue Is the Warmest Color and Spectre — has added her name to the growing list of women who've accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment.

In an op-ed posted on the Guardian's website, Seydoux details an encounter she says she had with the mogul at a hotel. "We met in the lobby of his hotel. His assistant, a young woman, was there. All throughout the evening, he flirted and stared at me as if I was a piece of meat," she explained. "He acted as if he were considering me for a role. But I knew that was bullshit. I knew it, because I could see it in his eyes. He had a lecherous look. He was using his power to get sex."

After his assistant left, "he started losing control," Seydoux said. "We were talking on the sofa when he suddenly jumped on me and tried to kiss me. I had to defend myself," she said. "He’s big and fat, so I had to be forceful to resist him. I left his room, thoroughly disgusted. I wasn’t afraid of him, though. Because I knew what kind of man he was all along."

Weinstein and Seydoux worked together on 2009's Inglorious Basterds, which he produced.

On Tuesday, The New Yorker published an extensive report detailing rape allegations against the mogul by three women. That story comes after last Thursday's New York Times exposé that outlined decades of sexual harassment claims leveled against Weinstein. The mogul has since been fired from The Weinstein Co. as more women — including model and actress Cara Delevingne — have come forward with accusations against him.

Seydoux also said that she's encountered Weinstein on other occasions, as well, including at a dinner where she said he "bragged openly about Hollywood actresses he has had sex with."

The actress also called out some directors in the industry. According to her, one unnamed helmer who she "really liked and respected" told her, “I wish I could have sex with you, I wish I could fuck you.” A different director would film very long sex scenes, she said. "He kept watching us, replaying the scenes over and over again in a kind of stupor. It was very gross," said Seydoux. Still another filmmaker tried to kiss her and, she said, "like [with] Weinstein," she had to "physically push him away."

Seydoux said she hopes the revelations by herself and others might bring about change in Hollywood. "This industry is based on desirable actresses. You have to be desirable and loved," she concluded. "But not all desires have to be fulfilled, even though men in the industry have an expectation that theirs should be. I think — and hope — that we might finally see a change. Only truth and justice can bring us forward."

Read her full op-ed here.