Los Angeles (AFP) – Hollywood movie mogul Harvey Weinstein has warned the National Rifle Association (NRA) he plans to make a movie with Meryl Streep that will make them “wish they weren’t alive.”
The NRA did not immediately respond Thursday to the warning, made in an interview on shock-jock Howard Stern’s show, in which Weinstein said he hoped to turn cinema goers against the gun lobby.
“I don’t think we need guns in this country, and I hate it. I think the NRA is a disaster area,” said Weinstein, known for his support for Democratic President Barack Obama and for gun control.
“I shouldn’t say this, but I’ll tell it to you, Howard. I’m going to make a movie with Meryl Streep, and we’re going to take this head-on,” Weinstein told the radio host Wednesday.
“And they’re going to wish they weren’t alive after I’m done with them,” the straight-talking studio chief, who has huge clout in Hollywood and is also known for his ability to generate publicity.
He added that he does not own a gun and never wants to.
Mass shootings regularly re-ignite America’s debate about gun control, which the NRA strongly opposes. The December 2012 massacre of 20 small children and six adults in Newtown Connecticut spurred Obama into new efforts, but they have been largely stymied in Congress.
A spokesman for the NRA and publicists for Streep — who secured her record 18th Oscar nomination Thursday morning — did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Harvey and Bob Weinstein have been behind some of Hollywood’s most iconic movies, and they are known for their ability to guide projects towards awards season success, with films like 2010’s best picture Oscar winner “The King’s Speech.”
Photo: Ben Stansall via AFP
