Judi Dench questions whether Harvey Weinstein deserves forgiveness

Judi Dench is questioning whether Harvey Weinstein may be ready for forgiveness years after he was expelled from Hollywood and sentenced for sex crimes. 

The discussion unfolded during a new interview with Radio Times where the 90-year-old actress reflected on her past connection to Weinstein, 73. 

"I saw a bit of film of Harvey walking with two sticks, and you think, 'Well…'" she began when the outlet asked for her thoughts on his conviction.

"I knew Harvey, and I knew him well and worked with him, and I had none of that experience — very fortunately for me," Dench said, referencing the dozens of women who have brought allegations of sexual misconduct against Weinstein over the years.

"I imagine he's done his time… I don't know, to me it's personal — forgiveness. I just think…." Dench noted of Weinstein, who produced films that helped elevate her career, including Shakespeare in Love, which earned her a 1999 Oscar.

Dench declined to elaborate further on Weinstein. However, she also confirmed that she remains in touch with Kevin Spacey, 66. 

"Kevin has been exonerated, and I hear from Kevin, we text," she said, in reference to a 2023 UK criminal case in which Spacey was found not guilty of nine counts of alleged sexual assault. 

Spacey is now facing civil claims in the UK from three men who alleged he sexually assaulted them, as the BBC reported on November 26.

Dench previously condemned Weinstein when allegations against him became public in 2017.

“Whilst there is no doubt that Harvey Weinstein has helped and championed my film career for the past 20 years, I was completely unaware of these offenses which are, of course, horrifying, and I offer my sympathy to those who have suffered, and wholehearted support to those who have spoken out,” she said at that time.

Dench also expressed concern to Radio Times in a 2019 interview that people would overlook both Spacey and Weinstein's bodies of work in the years after their public falls from grace.

“Are we just not going to see all those films that Harvey produced?" she said at the time.

Weinstein is currently serving a sentence in California following his 2022 sex-crime convictions. His earlier New York convictions were overturned in April 2024. His lawyer has argued that Weinstein is being mistreated at Rikers Island, and the producer was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia in 2024.