Actor Julia Stiles has recently spoken about a difficult and uncomfortable experience she had while working on the 2000 film Down to You.

In a podcast interview, Stiles shared that Harvey Weinstein, the film’s producer, pressured her to do something that made her feel “slimy.” This involved adding a dance scene during reshoots of the movie, which she said didn’t fit the story and made her feel uneasy.

Speaking on the Films To Be Buried With podcast hosted by Brett Goldstein, Julia Stiles explained that the movie originally had a good script written by director Kris Isacsson. She described him as a smart and capable first-time filmmaker. According to Stiles, Weinstein took over the project and made unnecessary changes. She said that he tried to follow the trend of popular teen romantic comedies at the time, but his involvement made the movie worse.

"It was a time when teen rom-coms were really popular," she said, adding that the film was changed for the worse once Weinstein got involved. As reported by Hindustan Times, Stiles felt that the changes cheapened the film. She also shared that Weinstein wanted to capitalize on her past success in movies like Save the Last Dance and 10 Things I Hate About You, where she had performed memorable dance scenes.

During reshoots for Down to You, Weinstein insisted that she do another dance scene, even suggesting she dance on a pool table, similar to her earlier film roles. Stiles said she enjoys dancing but found this situation uncomfortable. “It was dumb,” she said, adding that the idea felt forced and didn’t add anything meaningful to the movie. "I felt so slimy doing it the whole time," she explained. Stiles wasn’t even sure if the scene ended up in the final version of the film, but she was frustrated because it seemed like a cheap trick rather than a creative decision.

Harvey Weinstein, who is currently in prison, responded to Julia’s comments in a statement released to the Daily Beast. He defended his choice to add the dance scene, saying Stiles was a talented actress and dancer, and fans enjoyed seeing that side of her. Weinstein claimed that adding the scene made the movie better and praised her chemistry with co-star Freddie Prinze Jr. He also mentioned that his support for Stiles led to her being cast in Silver Linings Playbook , where she gave another strong performance.

Weinstein’s statement did not address the feelings of discomfort Stiles expressed. Instead, he focused on his role as a filmmaker trying to improve a movie’s appeal.

Harvey Weinstein is currently serving a prison sentence. He was convicted of multiple sexual assault charges and is undergoing a retrial after some of his earlier convictions were overturned. He was one of the most powerful figures in Hollywood before numerous women came forward during the #MeToo movement with allegations of harassment and assault.

Julia Stiles’ recent comments add to the many stories shared by women in the film industry about their troubling experiences with Weinstein.