Jessica Chastain says Harvey Weinstein bullied her for not wearing a dress designed by his wife

At the 23rd Annual Critics' Choice Awards at Barker Hangar on January 11, 2018 in Santa Monica, California. [Photo: Getty]
At the 23rd Annual Critics’ Choice Awards at Barker Hangar on January 11, 2018 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo: Getty Images)

Jessica Chastain has revealed that producer Harvey Weinstein once pressured her to wear a dress from his soon-to-be-ex wife Georgina Chapman’s fashion label — then taunted her when she refused.

The actress told WSJ Magazine that Weinstein had wanted her to wear Marchesa to the premiere of The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby, which was distributed by his company. But, according to People, Chastain opted instead to wear an electric blue Atelier Versace gown.

The Molly’s Game star went on to reveal that Weinstein had publicly chastised her for the decision to forgo the label when introducing the actress at a later event.

“He actually told the audience, ‘If I had to get in a boxing ring with Muhammad Ali or Jessica Chastain, I would choose Muhammad Ali,’” Chastain told WSJ Magazine.

Jessica chose to wear Versace — not Marchesa — to attend the premiere of <em>The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby</em>. (Photo: Getty Images)
Jessica chose to wear Versace — not Marchesa — to attend the premiere of The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby. (Photo: Getty Images)

Chastain isn’t the only actress the producer allegedly tried to coerce into wearing his Chapman’s designs.

The Cut reported that Weinstein pressured Felicity Huffman to wear a Marchesa gown to the 2006 Golden Globes by promising to withdraw funds for promotion of her Transamerica film.

Meanwhile, Jezebel noted that Kerry Washington was rumored to have annoyed Weinstein by reportedly ditching a custom Marchesa frock just hours before the 2013 Oscars in favor of a Miu Miu gown.

Since news of the Weinstein scandal broke, Chastain has been vocal about her own experiences, admitting that she was “warned from the beginning” about the Hollywood producer’s reputation.

Though she was able to avoid any inappropriate behavior from Weinstein, she has opened up about the sexual harassment she suffered at the hands of another producer.

Speaking at the Elle Women in Hollywood Awards, Chastain told the audience: “I had a producer spank me as I walked past him in the hallway.” She also admitted that she was scared to speak up about these things “because I was worried that I might be made un-hireable.”

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