Harvey Weinstein Cast as Victim in a Failed Actor's Extortion Plot
Stories about producer Harvey Weinstein's volcanic temper and penchant for colorful, highly creative obscenity are part of Hollywood lore, to the point that a blustery, Weinstein-esque executive is rapidly becoming a stock character for movies about movies. (See: Tom Cruise in Tropic Thunder and about a half-dozen bit characters on Entourage.)
Playing himself in a new Web video for Funny or Die, Weinstein manages to keep things civil--G-rated even--when Paul Rudd (who in real-life recently wrapped the Weinstein-produced Our Idiot Brother) shows up at his office with a series of dubious movie pitches and marketing campaigns. ("Why don't we advertise in pizzerias?" he suggests brightly.) Then he licks a picture of Mick Jagger. The video isn't the freshest bit of self-parody, and Rudd probably has 90 percent of the dialogue, but it's still satisfying, thanks to Weinstein's pitch-perfect slow burn.
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Ray Gustini
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