Liam Payne has finally broken his silence and addressed the appearance of a character, inspired by disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, in One Direction’s 'Best Song Ever' music video.
The 2013 video featured bandmates Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and former member Zayn Malik dressed as various characters, with Niall playing an influential studio executive named Harvey.
Seven years later, Liam admitted in a Q&A with fans that he still thinks about the video, which hit 700 million views, and is disturbed by the recent turn of events.
In a recent Instagram live Q&A, Liam and the music video director Ben Winston expressed their remorse. 'We couldn’t make that video these days. We based a character on Harvey Weinstein. Listen, he was just a famous guy,’ Ben said.
Liam was blunt in his remorse, 'I know, I often think about that. Jesus Christ.'
Niall, who played Harvey, was seen in a suit with receding hairline, yelling, 'I love the Direction,’ and telling a band members, 'Hey, wise guy! Get outta my office!'
Weinstein is currently serving a 23-year prison sentence after being convicted on charges of rape and sexual assault against two women. Five additional women in California have pressed similar charges against him.
Around 100 other women, including Cate Blanchett, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Beckinsale, Madonna, Lupita N'yongo, Ashley Judd among others have alleged that the movie producer has sexually assaulted and in some cases destroyed their careers, often in retaliation. Twenty of them said Weinstein raped them.
The producer’s fall from grace has been widely documented in the media. 'The decrepit-looking Mr. Weinstein, body hunched as he slowly rolls forward, contrasts sharply with his former image as a domineering Hollywood power broker,' Professor Jasmine Harris wrote in the New York Times.
