Dame Judi Dench Forgives Weinstein, Contacts Spacey

Dame Judi Dench, the 90-year-old Oscar-winning actress, expressed personal forgiveness toward Harvey Weinstein in a recent interview with Radio Times, stating that she believes he has served his time following convictions for sexual assault. Dench, who collaborated with the producer on several films, also shared that she remains in contact with Kevin Spacey, whom she described as exonerated after his acquittals in sexual assault cases.

In the interview, Dench reflected on her Quaker faith's emphasis on second chances while discussing Weinstein, who is 73 and currently incarcerated. "I saw a bit of film of Harvey walking with two sticks, and you think, 'Well,'" she said. "I knew Harvey, and I knew him well and worked with him, and I had none of that experience very fortunately for me." Acknowledging empathy for his victims, she added, "I imagine he's done his time. I don't know, to me it's personal forgiveness."

Weinstein's legal troubles began with widespread allegations in 2017 that ignited the Me Too movement, leading to convictions in New York in 2020 for a criminal sexual act and third-degree rape, initially resulting in a 23-year sentence. That conviction was overturned on...