It has been more than two years since bombshell reports triggered an avalanche of accusations against the billionaire and saw the launch of the MeToo movement.
Weinstein, once described as god by actress Meryl Streep, now cuts a shambling figure who hobbles around with the aid of a stick and a walking frame. He will come face to face with his accusers when he stands trial in New York. Weinstein, 67, is accused of raping one unnamed woman in a New York hotel in 2013 and forcibly performing a sex act on production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006.
He faces five charges, including two of rape and two of predatory sexual assault which carry a maximum sentence of life. The trial will include testimony from the two alleged victims along with four other women.
They include Sopranos’ actress Annabella Sciorra, who said Weinstein raped her in the early 1990s. The women will be supported in court by stars who alleged they were also victims.
They will include Rosanna Arquette, who claims she went to a hotel to get a script and he answered the door in his dressing gown pulling her hand toward his crotch. She has accused Weinstein of derailing her career after she resisted his advances.
Swingers star Katherine Kendall, who says Weinstein chased her naked around his apartment, said: “The message could get out there to people that your stories matter.”
More than 80 women have accused him of sexual abuse. Last month it was reported that the Weinstein company had reached a tentative £19million no-blame settlement with more than 30 people.
Weinstein denies all the charges and maintains any sex was consensual. Jury selection will start today.