Convicted sex offender and former film producer Harvey Weinstein is speaking out after Julia Stiles recently remarked that she felt “slimy” having to film a pool table dance sequence that he added into her 2000 rom-com, Down to You. 

“Julia Stiles is a talented and charismatic actress who naturally connects with audiences. Beyond her acting skills, she’s also a fantastic dancer, which was something fans really wanted at the time,” Weinstein said in a statement given to Entertainment Weekly by his spokesperson. “I included that scene in Down to You to enhance the film’s appeal, and her chemistry with Freddie Prinze Jr. made it work seamlessly.”

It continued, “As a filmmaker, I’ve always sought ways to elevate a project, and when I see an opportunity to make a film better, I take it. That same instinct led David O. Russell and me to cast Julia in Silver Linings Playbook, where she once again delivered a standout performance.”

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Stiles, 43, reflected on her and Freddie Prinze Jr.’s romantic comedy on a recent episode of Ted Lasso star Brett Goldstein’s Films to be Buried With podcast, noting that she considers it to be in contention for one of the worst films ever made. 

“It was a time when teen rom-coms were really popular, and the director wrote the script. He was a first-time director and he was a very, very intelligent, capable guy. The script was very good,” she explained at the time. “And then Harvey Weinstein got his hands on it.”

The film, which was directed by Kris Isacsson, follows the never-ending trials and tribulations of a young college couple played by Stiles and Prinze Jr. In one scene, Stiles’ character dances around a pool table while listening to Al Green’s influential hit, “Let’s Stay Together.”

The actress claimed on the podcast that the scene was crammed into the film “because of the success of Save the Last Dance, or the success of 10 Things I Hate About You,” calling it a “dumb” attempt to “capitalize on this trend” in her films at the time. 

“I felt so slimy doing it the whole time,” Stiles confessed. “It was annoying. Because I was like, ‘Well, this is so cheap, and it’s not adding to the story.’” 

Stiles previously reflected on Down to You while speaking with Entertainment Weekly in 2019, noting that it “changed a lot from the development process to the finished product.” 

She added, “Kris Isacsson had a vision for it that was a lot darker, so I remember thinking it was really mature. Then Harvey Weinstein and Miramax ended up producing it and turned it into a movie that was much more of a commercial, upbeat romantic comedy, for better or worse.”

Weinstein — who has been accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women over the years — was previously convicted of committing a criminal sex act in the first degree and rape in the third degree in a 2020 New York trial. Last year, his conviction was overturned by the New York court of appeals and a retrial was ordered. 

In addition to his New York case, Weinstein was also found guilty on three counts of rape and sexual assault in a 2022 Los Angeles trial. He is currently being held at the Rikers Island prison.