In April 1995, a striking photo of Julia Ormond graced the cover of The New York Times Magazine alongside the words: “When Hollywood needs a new star, it makes one.”
In it, a profile compared the then 30-year-old actress’ rapid rise to that of Audrey Hepburn four decades earlier. Ormond was most recently seen in “Legends of the Fall” with Brad Pitt, “First Knight” with Sean Connery and Richard Gere and “Sabrina” with Harrison Ford.
The “Hollywood machine” was “determined to make her a star,” said the article, which included a glowing quote from disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein.
But suddenly and abruptly, Ormond, now 59, disappeared from the Hollywood elite as quickly as she had risen into it. News articles and gossip columns occasionally pondered why without finding an answer, until Ormond eventually fell out of the spotlight entirely.
Now, nearly 30 years after the New York Times Magazine profile was published, the apparent cause of her downfall has been revealed: Eight months after publication, Ormond was sexually assaulted by Weinstein, and her career faltered when she met him, a newly accused man , disputed claims.
Ormond was one of Hollywood’s brightest talents in the mid-1990s, appearing alongside Brad Pitt in the 1995 film “Legends of the Fall” (pictured).
Ormond, pictured on stage at the 1995 Academy Awards, has claimed in a newly filed lawsuit that she was sexually assaulted by Harvey Weinstein in 1995 and that her career failed after she reported the attack to her agents
British actress Julia Ormond is suing Harvey Weinstein for sexual harassment, calling her “another victim of his depravity.” You are with Tim Robbins and Dr. Mathilde Krim pictured during a dinner at the Cannes Film Festival in 2001
Weinstein is currently serving a 23-year rape sentence in New York and was also sentenced to 16 years in prison in Los Angeles. His behavior, once an open secret among other Hollywood executives, was brought to public light during the #MeToo movement in 2017.
Ormond, who is also suing CAA, the Walt Disney Company and Miramax, claims she was attacked after a work lunch. He lured her into giving him a massage before forcing her to perform oral sex, the lawsuit says.
She confronted Weinstein about the alleged assault and reported it to her agents, but instead of receiving support, Ormond “soon felt Weinstein’s wrath,” the lawsuit says.
Her meteoric rise to fame was reversed and, in Ormond’s words in her statement of claim, “The damage… was catastrophic both personally and professionally.” She “almost disappeared from the public eye,” it continues.
At the time, Ormond was earning $3.5 million per film, having quickly moved up from TV roles to Hollywood films in her native Britain.
Ormond made her first notable appearance in Traffik, a 1989 British series in which she played the drug-addicted daughter of a minister. Two years later she starred alongside Dame Vanessa Redgrave in Young Catherine about Catherine II of Russia.
In 1993, she played her first leading role in a major film, The Baby Of Macon, which also starred Ralph Fiennes.
Ormond also starred opposite Harrison Ford in the 1995 film Sabrina and was touted as one of Hollywood’s brightest talents
Ormond opposite Sean Connery in the 1995 film First Knight
But it was “Legends of the Fall” the following year that secured her place as the future queen of Hollywood. Although critics’ reviews were mixed, the film grossed $160 million at the box office and Ormond’s performance was particularly praised. Steven Spielberg called her “amazing” and gushed: “It’s like seeing Audrey Hepburn on stage for the first time.”
Ormond proved herself several times alongside other leading actors of her time, including roles in “First Knight” and “Sabrina”.
She also made an impression as an aspiring producer – and Weinstein allegedly used that as an excuse for the meeting that preceded the attack.
A few months earlier, in August 1995, Ormond’s agents had negotiated a two-year contract between her production company and Miramax, the company founded by Weinstein.
But at the December dinner where deals were reportedly discussed, Weinstein said he wouldn’t discuss the project until later [Ormond’s] Apartment” that was provided to her by Miramax, the lawsuit says. It was there that Ormond allegedly attacked her.
She confronted Weinstein and reported the attack to her agents, who reportedly urged her not to speak out, warning that it could harm her career. She was later transferred from CAA to a less experienced agent and her career declined.
The lawsuit filed by Ormond, pictured at the 65th Taormina Film Fest on June 30, 2019, said she “felt Weinstein’s wrath” after confronting him about the alleged sexual assault
The lawsuit said that after she raised the alarm about Weinstein, “the damage was catastrophic, both personally and professionally.” It goes on to say that she has “almost disappeared from the public eye”.
The lawsuit specifically targets her agents and continues: “Not only did CAA fail to meet these basic obligations, but it compounded the harm when Ormond told her CAA agents, Bryan Lourd and Kevin Huvane, what Weinstein had done to her. “
“Instead of siding with Ormond and advocating for her interests, they suggested not believing her when she reported Weinstein to the authorities, and he would seriously harm her career.” Worse, not long after Weinstein’s attack on Ormond and her complaint to them about the attack, CAA lost interest in representing her and her career suffered dramatically.”
The lawsuit continues: “CAA, Miramax and Disney continued to profit generously from their close association with Harvey Weinstein for many years after Ormond was attacked by him and then disowned by Hollywood.”
Ormond’s appearances since the aftermath of the attack and her ailments have largely included roles in television series and independent films. She received a Primetime Emmy Award in 2010 for her role in Temple Grandin.
Ormond told Variety, which first reported the lawsuit, that she kept the attack secret — other than reporting it to her agents — until the #MeToo movement emerged and she confided in her family.
She said: “I’m coming forward with my story publicly now because I feel like we still need systemic change and I feel like we need the accountability of the enablers to get there. “I have that Feeling like that’s exactly what happened to me.’