Zoe Kazan to Star in New Movie on Weinstein Scandal

Zoe Kazan and Carey Mulligan have signed up to a new film centering around the Harvey Weinstein scandal that rocked Hollywood.

Kazan in The Weinstein Scandal Movie

Greek-American actress Kazan will be playing Jodi Kantor, who along with reporter Megan Twohey broke the news story on Weinstein on October 5, 2017.

Weinstein was accused of multiple counts of sexual harassment and assault during his decades-long career in the film business. The news story started the “Time’s Up” and “#MeToo” movement, which saw many actresses and actors coming forth with stories of sexual harassment and assault in the entertainment industry.

Maria Schrader, the director of the hit series “Unorthodox”, will direct the film. The movie is based on the New York Times bestseller Kantor and Twohey wrote, titled “She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement”.

Like the book, the movie is expected to focus on the power structures that helped keep such despicable behavior hidden. For years, actresses in the film business made allegations and were not taken seriously. In other instances, they didn’t speak up at all because they were threatened with job loss or other retaliation.

Weinstein was eventually charged with rape in May of 2018. He was found guilty of two of five felony counts in February of 2020.

The #MeToo Movement

Many other powerful figures, including Kevin Spacey, Bryan Singer, and Louis C.K. also came under fire for patterns of sexual harassment and assault in their past.

The #MeToo movement spread far beyond Hollywood. In every powerful industry, from large corporations and Wall Street to the culinary world and even journalism and academia, allegations came out across the board.

Matt Lauer was fired from his job at NBC News after multiple verified accusations of sexual misconduct.

The movement started by Kantor and Twohey changed the entire cultural landscape of the US. In the years following the breakout story, #MeToo movements have swept across the globe, including unearthing abusers in the entertainment industry in Greece.

Zoe Kazan’s Career On the Rise

This movie starring Kazan and Mulligan could be the next “Spotlight”, some critics say. Rebecca Lenkiewicz wrote the script. One of her previous prominent works was 2013’s “Ida”.

Kazan has been taking more and more prominent roles in the past few years. After a critically acclaimed turn in “The Big Sick”, she played parts in top TV shows “The Deuce” and “The Plot Against America”.

Her grandfather was the great Greek-American director Elia Kazan. He was responsible for classics like “East of Eden”, “On the Waterfront”, and “A Streetcar Named Desire”.

Zoe Kazan has been outspoken in support of the #MeToo movement and against perpetrators like Harvey Weinstein.