Jessica Chastain has said that Harvey Weinstein tried to pressure her into wearing Marchesa - the label designed by his now-estranged wife Georgina Chapman - and how he then publicly criticised her when she refused.
The actress tells of one incident in particular in a new interview with WSJ Magazine. The producer had wanted Chastain to wear a Marchesa dress to the premiere of The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby at the Cannes Film Festival, which was produced by The Weinstein Co. The actress declined, instead walking the red carpet in an electric blue Atelier Versace gown, reports The Cut.
She then detailed how Weinstein publicly berated her when introducing her at the event later that evening.
“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,’” she recalled.
Chastain isn't the only actress who's admitted to being coerced into wearing Marchesa; Felicity Huffman confirmed that she was forced to wear the label when promoting her film Transamerica - including at the 2006 Golden Globes where she ended up taking home the award for Best Actress. She alleges that Weinstein threatened to withdraw promotional funding if she didn't.
Many actresses who've previously worn Marchesa at various high-profile events had also coincidentally been promoting Weinstein films at the time.
