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Update (October 17, 2017, 4:28 p.m.): Less than a week after being suspended from Amazon Studios following an allegation of sexual harassment—and less than two weeks since a series of snowballing sexual misconduct allegations toppled former Weinstein Company head Harvey Weinstein—Roy Price has officially left the content arm of the retail giant, according to Variety. He will be succeeded on an interim basis by Albert Cheng, who until recently served as the chief operating officer of Amazon Studios.
Update (October 12, 2017, 8:45 p.m.): Amazon said in a statement that Price is “on leave of absence effective immediately.“ In addition the company announced plans to “ [review] our options for the projects we have with The Weinstein Co.”
The original story continues below.
A Wall Street Journal story published last week revealed that Amazon Studio chief Roy Price had retained the legal services of Lisa Bloom, who, at the time, was also advising Harvey Weinstein in the wake of a recent series of allegations of sexual misconduct. (Bloom has since severed ties with Weinstein). Now the reason for Price’s relationship with Bloom may have become clear: Isa Hackett, a producer on the Amazon series The Man in the High Castle, is sharing for the first time details of a night in 2015 when Price allegedly harassed her. In a piece by Kim Masters at The Hollywood Reporter, Hackett describes a “shocking and surreal“ cab ride during San Diego Comic-Con, in which she says Price repeatedly propositioned her despite her deflections, and continued to do so at the party they were both attending.
“As somebody with some power, I feel it is imperative for me to speak out,“ said Hackett, who remains an executive producer on The Man in the High Castle, as well as the upcoming Amazon series Electric Dreams. “I want to call out [Price’s] behavior and also hold myself to a certain standard [. . . ] This incident has been looming and it’s difficult to shake it.“
Amazon declined to comment to The Hollywood Reporter, and did not respond to an additional request for comment.
In August, Masters first reported, that Amazon had investigated Hackett’s complaint against Price for “sexual remarks.“ The investigation was closed, and its result wasn’t disclosed. In their October interview, Hackett explained to Masters that, at the time, she didn’t want details public because “I didn’t want to distract or deflate the energies of all the people who are so invested in these shows, and all of that positivity. You don’t want to bring this into it. It feels demoralizing.“
Asked whether the revelations about Harvey Weinstein had inspired her to go public, Hackett responded directly: “Yes, it has. I think women inspire each other. I feel inspired by the other women who have been far braver than I am, who have come forward. I hope we all continue to inspire each other and ultimately create change.“
