James Cameron almost clocked Harvey Weinstein with an Oscar statuette to defend Guillermo del Toro’s honor
The almost-Slap took place twenty-five years ago on Titanic's big, best-picture-winning night
Aux News Guillermo del Toro
We can think of a million and one reasons why any reasonable person might want to punch Harvey Weinstein in the face. Now, according to an extensive oral history of Titanic’s historic 1998 Oscar win published in The Hollywood Reporter, we can add “being a dick to Guillermo del Toro” to the list.
In the piece, James Cameron reveals that while he “didn’t know Harvey from Adam” at the time, he did know that the producer had screwed over his friend Guillermo del Toro repeatedly. So when Weinstein tried to recruit Cameron while he was on the way back to his seat after winning the Oscar for Best Film Editing, things quickly escalated to a level that was “almost potentially physically violent,” according to Cameron. And sure, violence is never the answer, yada yada yada, but wouldn’t it have been just delicious to have video footage of Weinstein being absolutely wrecked by an Oscar statuette? We know Cameron is busy for the next decade or so with his endless coffer of Avatar sequels, but this is our humble plea for the director to take a short recess and use all of that CGI technology to recreate this moment on the big screen.
You can read Cameron’s full account below:
I didn’t know Harvey from Adam. I didn’t know anything about him other than what I had learned from Guillermo del Toro. Guillermo and I had been close friends since 1991. He had told me the horrible shit that Miramax pulled on him when he made his first American commercial film, Mimic, and they fired him. The actors, led by Mira Sorvino, kind of revolted and wouldn’t work until they brought him back. Then, when the film was successful and well regarded, Harvey sort of jumped up to take praise for the movie. And so I’m on my way back to my seat with my editing Oscar, and this guy’s jumping up to introduce himself, saying, “If you want to come to work at a place that’s a friend of the artist, a friend of the filmmaker” — he’s holding his hand out, and I just blew him off. It was just an ugly little moment. But, yeah, I did defend Guillermo and I called Harvey on his bullshit, and then he got very loud and verbally abusive and almost potentially physically violent. And he was about to get clocked by an Oscar — which would’ve been highly appropriate, I think. But I wasn’t thinking about it in those terms; it was just the weapon at hand. The hysterical thing about the whole moment was people around us were saying, “Not here! Not here!” It was kind of like, “It’s OK if you boys fight out in the alley, but don’t do it here at the Academy Awards!”
28 Comments
Now THAT would have been quite a memorable event for 1998. Perhaps even a diversion from the Clinton dominance of the news.
It’s the Academy Awards. There’s probably video of it somewhere.
This is the only cool thing I’ve ever heard about James Cameron as a human being
Well, it came from James Cameron, and James Cameron is always happy to sing the praises of James Cameron.
Wait, James Cameron? THE James Cameron? Wow, is there anything that James Cameron won’t do? I tell ya, that James Cameron, always sticking up for the little guy. James Cameron, bastion of freedom! James Cameron! James Cameron!James Cameron!!!
James Cameron doesn’t do what James Cameron does for James Cameron. James Cameron does what James Cameron does because James Cameron is James Cameron.
Not for nothing, but while he seems to be incredibly confident in himself and his art to the point of unbearable arrogance, he does also seem to be a stand-up guy. https://www.cinemablend.com/interviews/guillermo-del-toro-wants-to-clarify-a-misconception-about-james-camerons-role-in-his-fathers-kidnapping
I mean, apparently in the late 90s, del Toro’s father was kidnapped in Mexico, and Cameron paid the >$1 million ransom. So that was pretty nice of him to do.
He also is a big animal advocate.
He legit puts money into environmental charities too, y’know
Every person you’ve ever hated in your entire life?I almost hit them.
trash article as always on this site
So how many people does this make that almost hit Weinstein?
About the same number who almost refused to work with him.
I almost hit Harvey Fierstein with a lime once, but I was aiming at Pierce Brosnan.
Was it a run by fruiting?
Cool story, bro. I bet your ex Kathryn Bigelow would’ve ACTUALLY hit Weinstein in that same scenario…
linda hamilton as well, i suppose.
Well, that’s a convenient anecdote.
I had no idea Weistein was involved with the Mimic mess. I had a feeling there was more to it than that, but getting a film made at all is such a daunting task I wondered how we even made it to the digital camera age without people throwing up their hands and quitting on the form altogether.
I assume that’s the point where Mira Sorvino’s own Weinstein-related issues began as well.
“I was gonna”, “I was gonna”.I really doubt he was. One of the grimmest things about Weinstein was that he was a very large, imposing, physically intimidating sort of guy, with a lot of bulk behind him.
L’esprit de l’escalier, I presume.
“James Cameron Does Nothing”
Wow, great story. Thanks.
It’s a convenient story but him being good friends with del Toro makes Cameron a marginally better human being.
oooooooooooooh that explains the Avatar craze. I didn’t know Titanic won Best Picture. Damn my youngness.
Beat him hard enough you get literally this:
Why the hate on Cameron? An arrogant man who made a shite ton of money off his movie is better than an arrogant man who made shite.