Film director James Cameron has revealed he once had an unexpected clash with Harvey Weinstein, revealing that he “almost” got in a fight with the producer at the Oscars back in 1998.
James won big at the ceremony, with ‘Titanic’ taking home 11 awards, but the he has now opened up about why he nearly “hit” the Miramax co-founder with his Academy Award.
Speaking to Vanity Fair, James answered the question of what he remembers from the night ‘Titanic’ won its Oscar with: “I remember almost getting in a fight with Harvey Weinstein and hitting him with my Oscar.”
Explaining the incident, he added: “It was happening on the main floor at the [theatre] … And the music had started to play to get back in our seats. The people around us were saying, ‘Not here! Not here!’
When quizzed on why the clash took place, James told the magazine it was “to do with Guillermo del Toro and how badly he was dealt with by Miramax on ‘Mimic’”.
“Harvey came up glad-handing me, talking about how great they were for the artist,” he said. “And I just read him chapter and verse about how great I thought he was for the artist based on my friend’s experience, and that led to an altercation.”.
The evening saw ‘Titanic’ break records, becoming only the second film in history to win 11 awards. (The record was later equalled again by ‘Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King’ in 2003.)
Weinstein has remained out of the limelight since women began coming forward to accuse him of sexual harassment, abuse, and - in three cases - rape, taking part in an outpatient rehab program.
When the first reports emerged in early October, he apologised for inappropriate behaviour but has “vehemently denied” all accusations of rape.