Dame Judi Dench says Harvey Weinstein has ‘done his time’

She previously said she didn't regret making films with him

Asked by Radio Times if she could forgive good friends Weinstein and Kevin Spacey, Dench said that “Kevin has been exonerated, and I hear from Kevin, we text” and that “I knew Harvey, and I knew him well and worked with him, and I had none of that experience – very fortunately for me.”

“I imagine he’s done his time … I don’t know, to me it’s personal – forgiveness”, the Bond star added.

Dench had condemned Weinstein and said that the news about his crimes were ‘horrifying’ when they emerged in 2017.

Weinstein, 73, was the centre of rape or sexual misconduct allegations, which sparked the Me Too movement in October that year.

The former film producer was initially convicted of a criminal sexual act in the first degree and rape in the third degree in February 2020, but last year his 23-year sentence was overturned, sparking a three-week retrial in New York.

However, in 2019 she said “you cannot deny somebody a talent” as she spoke out against a potential boycott of Weinstein films.

She went on to say she didn’t regret making any films with him, adding that “he was a friend”.

“I worked a lot for Harvey, a huge amount, and he was always completely charming”, she said, speaking for The Guardian.

Weinstein had produced several projects the 90-year-old retired actress appeared in, such as Philomena, Chocolat and Shakespeare in Love.