Roman Polanski says Harvey Weinstein ruined his reputation: ‘His press attaché was the first person to call me a child rapist’

Filmmaker claims Weinstein attempted to sabotage his Oscar chances in 2003

Roman Polanski has claimed Harvey Weinstein is responsible for ruining his reputation, and that one of his employees was “the first to call me a child rapist”.

The filmmaker claimed in an interview that Weinstein orchestrated the resurfacing of Polanski’s charges for statutory rape, in an attempt to spoil the Oscar chances of his 2002 film The Pianist.

“I know that in 2003, Weinstein panicked when The Pianist won two BAFTAs, including Best Film,” Polanski told Paris Match. “Weinstein, who had two films nominated at the Oscars, launched a campaign to stop the same thing happening in Hollywood.

“It was he who dug up the [then] 26-year-old story with Samantha and which was no longer of interest to anyone. His press attaché was the first person to call me a ‘child rapist'.”

He continued, “The paradox is that The Pianist didn’t win the Best Picture Oscar, a prize that goes to the producer, but I won Best Director.”

Polanski was arrested and charged with the statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl in 1977, and subsequently pled guilty to having “unlawful sex with a minor”.

After spending 42 days undergoing psychiatric evaluation ahead of sentencing, Polanski fled to Paris, where he remains to this day. American authorities have repeatedly attempted to extradite the filmmaker.

In the same interview with Paris Match, Polanski claimed that “for years people have been trying to make me a monster”, adding: “It’s like a curse, and I can’t do anything about it.”