The fact-based drama movie She Said looks at the #MeToo movement, particularly the exposure of Harvey Weinstein as a sexual predator. While the hashtag had existed long prior – having been coined by activist Tarana Burke in 2006 – it was not until the fall of 2017 that the #MeToo movement suddenly took the world by storm. Women everywhere suddenly began revealing the sexual harassment and assault they had been subjected to publicly, with many naming names and firmly pointing the finger at their alleged abusers.
With several particular #MeToo targets, the initial round of accusations of misconduct against them opened the floodgates. This was true for several powerful men in Hollywood, and perhaps the most infamous was Harvey Weinstein, although Kevin Spacey came close. Co-founder of both The Weinstein Company and Miramax, Weinstein was a heavyweight producer, someone with the power to make or break careers, which was something he used to victimize women. Now a convicted sex offender, Weinstein is currently serving a lengthy prison term in New York.
No doubt, with the release of She Said, many are wondering if Harvey Weinstein makes it into the movie, as well as who plays the notorious real-life character. Here’s how She Said approaches the character of Weinstein.
Who Plays Harvey Weinstein In She Said?
While She Said does involve the Weinstein case, its focus is thankfully not primarily on the disgraced Hollywood mogul. Instead, She Said is based on a non-fiction book of the same name that was published in 2019 and centers on a duo of New York Times reporters, Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, respectively played in the film by Emmy nominee Zoe Kazan and Oscar nominee Carey Mulligan. She Said hits theaters on November 18, but its official trailer recently dropped. The trailer only includes Harvey Weinstein’s voice, but that voice is provided by actor Mike Houston. As anyone who has heard Weinstein speak can attest, Houston seems to have a good handle on replicating Weinstein’s particular way of talking.
Where You Know Mike Houston From
Many likely will not readily recognize the name Mike Houston, as while he works a lot, Houston is a character actor and tends to be a bit of a journeyman. Perhaps fittingly considering Weinstein’s present circumstances, Houston is best known for his several season role as prison guard Lee Dixon on Netflix’s Orange Is The New Black. He also played a recurring character on Amazon Prime’s Sneaky Pete, as well as HBO’s Boardwalk Empire. Most recently, Houston appeared on several episodes of NBC’s long-running The Blacklist, which after nine seasons still has yet to reveal Raymond “Red” Reddington’s true identity. Some of his other credits include Jessica Jones, Elementary, Blue Bloods and Law & Order.
While only Houston’s voice is heard in the She Said trailer, the fact that Houston matches up pretty well physically to Harvey Weinstein suggests that the former show business king-maker will be portrayed onscreen at some point too. Weinstein may not be the focus of She Said, but if Houston plays him well, perhaps it will succeed in making him a bigger name. Houston has been toiling away in movies and TV for two decades, and he is due for some more notice.