Dame Judi Dench has said she imagines Harvey Weinstein has “done his time”.
The Academy Award-winning actress, who will celebrate her 91st birthday on Tuesday, made the comments about the disgraced Hollywood movie mogul while speaking about forgiveness as a central tenet of her Quaker faith.
In an interview with Radio Times, she was asked whether she could forgive Weinstein and Kevin Spacey, both good friends of hers in the past.
Weinstein, 73, was found guilty of several counts of sexual assault, including rape, in a Los Angeles trial in 2022. Spacey was cleared by courts in the UK and the US of allegations of sexual assault but has struggled to find acting work since.
Dame Judi responded: “Kevin has been exonerated and I hear from Kevin, we text. I saw a bit of film of Harvey walking with two sticks and you think, ‘Well…’
“I knew Harvey and I knew him well and worked with him, and I had none of that experience – very fortunately for me. I imagine he’s done his time … I don’t know, to me it’s personal – forgiveness.”
The Oscar-winning actress condemned Weinstein when allegations he had raped and sexually assaulted women emerged in 2017.
Dame Judi, who had credited Weinstein with reviving her film career and once tattooed his name on her body as a joke, described the offences as “horrifying”.
