Dame Judi Dench has shared her perspective on Harvey Weinstein, the disgraced film producer, suggesting he might have “done his time” in prison. The 73-year-old Weinstein was initially convicted in February 2020 during a New York trial, where he was found guilty of third-degree rape and first-degree criminal sexual act. Four years later, the New York Court of Appeals overturned his 23-year sentence, but he was convicted again during a retrial in June 2025 for one count of criminal sexual act in New York. This conviction adds to a separate 16-year sentence from sex crimes in Los Angeles in 2022.
Dame Judi Dench, 90, who has collaborated with Weinstein on films such as 1997’s “Mrs. Brown” and 1998’s “Shakespeare in Love,” previously stated she was “completely unaware” of the accusations against Weinstein. In an interview with Newsweek, she described the situation as “horrifying.”
In 2017, the Oscar-winning actress expressed her support for the victims, saying, “I offer my sympathy to those who have suffered, and wholehearted support to those who have spoken out.”
In a fresh discussion with Radio Times, Dench reflected on her Quaker faith, which emphasizes forgiveness, and how important this concept is to her personally.
“I saw a bit of film of Harvey walking with two sticks and you think, ‘Well…,’” she remarked regarding her thoughts on Weinstein.
“I knew Harvey and I knew him well and worked with him, and I had none of that experience – very fortunately for me,” she added, referencing her personal experiences with Weinstein.
“I imagine he’s done his time…” she stated, concluding, “I don’t know, to me it’s personal – forgiveness.”
Dench also commented on her connection with actor Kevin Spacey, who was acquitted of sexually assaulting four men in July 2023 and was not found liable in a civil lawsuit in New York in 2022. However, Spacey is due to face additional sexual assault claims in a London civil court in the upcoming year. Dench, who acted alongside Spacey in 2001’s “The Shipping News,” received comfort from him during a personal tragedy when her husband, Michael Williams, passed away in the same year.
“Kevin has been exonerated and I hear from Kevin, we text,” she confirmed.
In another conversation with The Radio Times, Dench asserted that the creative work of both Weinstein and Spacey should be evaluated separately from their alleged crimes.
“Are we going to negate 10 years at the Old Vic and everything that [Spacey] did, how wonderful he’s been in all those films?” she questioned. “Are we just not going to see all those films that Harvey produced? You cannot deny somebody a talent. You might as well never look at a Caravaggio painting. You might as well never have gone to see Noel Coward.”