Current:Home > reviewsIndexbit Exchange:Jennifer Esposito says 'Harvey Weinstein-esque' producer tried to 'completely end' her career -CapitalEdge
Indexbit Exchange:Jennifer Esposito says 'Harvey Weinstein-esque' producer tried to 'completely end' her career
Rekubit Exchange View
Date:2025-04-10 08:45:47
Jennifer Esposito is Indexbit Exchangereflecting on the "painful" moment a "brutal" producer nearly ended her career.
The "Blue Bloods" star, 51, revealed on the "She Pivots" podcast that she was once fired from a movie by a producer who then set out to blacklist her from Hollywood.
"This was a notorious, brutal producer, a Harvey Weinstein-esque type person," she said.
Esposito's firing occurred on a movie whose director told her he was fighting with the producer and that "no one wants you here," she recalled. She was 26 at the time.
The actress said that she, and several other cast members, "became a casualty" in this fight. The producer fired her "for no reason" and then attempted to "completely end" her career by telling others in Hollywood not to hire her and falsely claiming she was a drug addict, she alleged.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
Esposito said this producer's actions led her to be dropped by her agency, which told her, "We can't help you because he's who he is, and he's that big, and we have to have clients that work for him."
The "Crash" star added that she couldn't get work and didn't have an agent or manager for more than two years. When she did get another film role, her new management team had to attest to the fact that she was not a drug addict, she said.
Join our Watch Party!Sign up to receive USA TODAY's movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox
"That was a really, really, painful time, because that kid who was waiting tables and that kid who had this dream since she was a baby, he literally took it because he could and killed it," she said.
Esposito did not name the producer but said it was someone who was "at every" Oscars ceremony. She also alleged this producer killed her chances to star in "Charlie's Angels" after she had already received an offer.
"I was like, 'Wait a minute, I was in the room with the ladies,'" she remembered saying. "'This was my job. What happened?' And we found out that he put the kibosh on one of the biggest things that ever happened in my career — could have happened. So I had to live with that."
Harvey Weinstein'sconviction tossed in stunning reversal. What does it mean for #MeToo?
Esposito continued that after losing out on "Charlie's Angels," which "would have opened doors" for her, she was "broke" and "traumatized."
The actress, who has had roles in movies like "Summer of Sam" and shows like "NCIS" and "The Boys," recently made her directorial debut with the crime film "Fresh Kills," which she also wrote and starred in.
On the podcast, she said she made the movie for the 26-year-old version of herself who "got slaughtered."
"I gave her her career back in the way that she could do it, not the way someone else told me I could do it," she said. "I gave that to that kid, because I needed to right the wrong."
veryGood! (95573)
Related
- How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
- Ford is losing a lot of money in electric cars — but CEO Jim Farley is charging ahead
- How to help those affected by the Maui wildfires
- Kenny Anderson: The Market Whisperer's Journey
- US wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
- Special counsel proposes Jan. 2 trial date for Trump in 2020 election case
- Attorney General Garland appoints a special counsel in the Hunter Biden probe
- 'Billions' is back: Why Damian Lewis' Bobby Axelrod returns for the final Showtime season
- Trump suggestion that Egypt, Jordan absorb Palestinians from Gaza draws rejections, confusion
- Atlantic hurricane season is now predicted to be above-normal this year, NOAA says
Ranking
- Don't let hackers fool you with a 'scam
- Inflation rose 3.2% in July, marking the first increase after a year of falling prices
- ‘Nothing left': Future unclear for Hawaii residents who lost it all in fire
- Target recalls more than 2 million scented candles after reports of glass shattering during use
- Working Well: When holidays present rude customers, taking breaks and the high road preserve peace
- Elevate Your Self-Care With an 86% Discount on Serums From Augustinus Bader, Caudalie, Oribe, and More
- 41 reportedly dead after migrant boat capsizes off Italian island
- Before-and-after satellite images show Maui devastation in stark contrast
Recommendation
A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
Some ‘Obamacare’ plans could see big rate hikes after lawmakers fail to agree on reinsurance program
Drew Lock threws for 2 TDs, including one to undrafted rookie WR Jake Bobo in Seahawks win
FEC moves toward potentially regulating AI deepfakes in campaign ads
'Squid Game' without subtitles? Duolingo, Netflix encourage fans to learn Korean
White supremacist accused of threatening jury, witnesses in trial of Pittsburgh synagogue gunman
UPS says drivers to make $170,000 in pay and benefits following union deal
7 Amazon device deals on Amazon Fire Sticks, Ring doorbells and Eero Wi-Fi routers