Weinstein Responds to Stiles Slimy Dance Scene Claim in Down to You

He speaks from prison.

Harvey Weinstein responded to Julia Stiles recently saying that she “felt so slimy” filming a specific scene at the now-disgraced filmmaker’s behest for the 2000 rom-com “Down to You.”

On Brett Goldstein’s “Films To Be Buried With” podcast last week, the 43-year-old actress said that Weinstein took creative control of the reshoots on the film directed by Kris Isacsson and forced her to do a dance sequence.

Freddie Prinze Jr., Julia Stiles in “Down to You.” ©Miramax/Courtesy Everett Collection

Harvey Weinstein in court in New York ahead of his retrial. POOL/AFP via Getty Images

“I love to dance, but it was dumb,” she recalled. “It was like, ‘OK, let’s get her on a pool table.’ It wasn’t even imaginative. And I felt so slimy doing it the whole time. I don’t know if that actually made it in the film, but it was annoying, ’cause I was like, this is so cheap and it’s not adding to the story.”

Weinstein, who is currently behind bars serving a 16-year prison sentence after his 2022 rape conviction in California, reacted to Stiles’ comments in a statement to The Daily Beast Sunday.

“Julia Stiles is a talented and charismatic actress who naturally connects with audiences,” Weinstein said. “Beyond her acting skills, she’s also a fantastic dancer, which was something fans really wanted at the time.”

Julia Stiles at the “SNL 50” special on Feb. 16. FilmMagic

Julia Stiles in “Down to You.” ©Miramax/Courtesy Everett Collection

Freddie Prinze Jr., Julia Stiles in “Down to You.” ©Miramax/Courtesy Everett Collection

“I included that scene in ‘Down to You’ to enhance the film’s appeal, and her chemistry with Freddie Prinze Jr. made it work seamlessly,” he continued. “As a filmmaker, I’ve always sought ways to elevate a project, and when I see an opportunity to make a film better, I take it.”

Weinstein added, “That same instinct led David O. Russell and me to cast Julia in Silver Linings Playbook, where she once again delivered a standout performance.”

Harvey Weinstein appears in court in New York on March 12. Steven Hirsch

“Down to You” follows college students in New York City, Al (Prinze) and Imogen (Stiles) who meet at a bar and endure several trials and tribulations before they get their happily ever after.

In the scene that Stiles mentioned, Imogen puts on Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” in her dorm and does a little dance around the room and across the pool table.

Stiles claimed on Goldstein’s podcast that the scene was added by Weinstein due to “the success of ‘Save the Last Dance,’ or the success of ’10 Things I Hate About You,’ with me dancing on the pool table. He needed to have me dancing in the film.”

She called Weinstein’s decision a “dumb” attempt to “capitalize on this trend.”

Stiles previously talked about Weinstein coming onto the project after Isacsson had already written the script in a 2019 interview with Entertainment Weekly.

“The movie changed a lot from the development process to the finished product,” she told the outlet. “Kris Isacsson had a vision for it that was a lot darker, so I remember thinking it was really mature. Then Harvey Weinstein and Miramax ended up producing it and turned it into a movie that was much more of a commercial, upbeat romantic comedy, for better or worse.”

Julia Stiles at “SNL50: The Homecoming Concert” on February 14. WireImage

In addition to his California rape conviction, Weinstein was also convicted in New York in 2020 of criminal sexual assault and third-degree rape and sentenced to 23 years in prison. The former movie mogul will now have a retrial, starting April 15, after his conviction was overturned last spring.

Harvey Weinstein at a pre-trial hearing at Manhattan Criminal Court on March 12. Getty Images

Despite being behind bars, Weinstein similarly spoke out in a statement earlier this month when Adrien Brody, who is dating his ex-wife Georgina Chapman, mentioned the former couple’s children India, 14, and son Dashiell, 11, in his Oscars 2025 acceptance speech.

“Harvey is happy for Georgina and grateful that his kids are being loved and cared for as they deserve to be,” Weinstein’s rep told The Post.