Peter Jackson Confirms Ashley Judd & Mira Sorvino's Claims of Being Blacklisted From 'Lord Of The Rings' by Harvey Weinstein

Peter Jackson is opening up about Harvey Weinstein, as well as realizing that he was led to believe false information about Ashley Judd and Mira Sorvino.

The Lord Of The Rings director told Stuff that while in talks to produce Rings with Harvey‘s company Miramax, he expressed interest in casting both actresses.

“I recall Miramax telling us they were a nightmare to work with and we should avoid them at all costs. This was probably in 1998,” he said.

While he didn’t have reason to doubt the recommendation not to cast them at the time, he now feels it was likely a “smear campaign in full swing.”

“I now suspect we were fed false information about both of these talented women – and as a direct result their names were removed from our casting list,” he said.

Both Ashley and Mira have since responded on Twitter.

“Just seeing this after I awoke, I burst out crying. There it is, confirmation that Harvey Weinstein derailed my career, something I suspected but was unsure. Thank you Peter Jackson for being honest. I’m just heartsick,” said Mira.

“I remember this well,” wrote Ashley while retweeting the story.

See their tweets below.