Julia Stiles: 'Harvey Weinstein scandal has ended bullying culture'

Julia Stiles has credited the scandal surrounding Harvey Weinstein with ending a culture of bullying in Hollywood.

The former Miramax chief was once one of Tinseltown's most powerful figures, credited with making or breaking careers and landing multiple Oscar wins for his movies. However, in 2017 he was accused of sexual misconduct by dozens of women, and is now facing charges including rape and sexual assault.

And Stiles, who starred in the Weinstein-produced 2012 film Silver Linings Playbook, claims the producer's fall from grace has opened up conversations about behaviour at the top of the film industry.

"I had a conversation with a producer and an actor about Harvey Weinstein recently, and they were sharing stories about what a monster he was, and that would've never happened before," she told British newspaper The Times.

Speaking about her own time working with Weinstein, the 38-year-old actress said she never experienced harassment, but blamed him for a toxic culture that would now be viewed as unacceptable.

"I worked with him a lot. He produced Silver Linings Playbook," she said. "He was on the set, and though I never had any issues with him to the degree that other women did, there was a culture, from the top down, of accepting and supporting hostile, bullying behaviour that now just wouldn't fly."

Weinstein has denied all allegations of non-consensual sex and pleaded not guilty to all charges.