(ANTIMEDIA) Scottsdale, AZ — Footage obtained by TMZ shows disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein on the receiving end of a pair of backhanded slaps at a Scottsdale, Arizona, restaurant Tuesday night, in addition to being called a “piece of shit” by the man delivering them.
According to TMZ, Weinstein and his sobriety coach, a person who provides one-on-one assistance to someone just out of treatment, were dining at the Elements restaurant when two men entered and sat at the table next to them.
One of the men, calling himself “Steve,” told TMZ he approached Weinstein, explained to the producer how much he loved his movies and asked to take a photo with him. In the first of two reports, Steve told TMZ that Harvey Weinstein became belligerent.
The restaurant’s manager, however, contradicted this claim. She said Weinstein was actually “very sweet about it” and said simply that he’d “rather not take a picture right now.” She also says the two men shook hands before Steve returned to his table.
But the mood shifted when both parties, Weinstein and his sober coach and Steve and another man, got up to leave the restaurant at the same time. Steve, who admitted he had had “quite a bit to drink,” told TMZ he instructed his friend to grab his phone and film what was about to happen.
Steve claimed he walked up to Harvey Weinstein, called him a “piece of shit,” and delivered two punches to the former Hollywood heavyweight, nearly knocking him down. The manager, however, refuted this claim, as well, and told TMZ Steve was drunk and out of control.
Shortly after the first report, TMZ published a second, this one with the footage of the incident attached. In the video, Steve clearly doesn’t punch Weinstein but merely delivers a pair of backhand slaps to the face. The slaps certainly surprised Weinstein but didn’t at all send him reeling as Steve initially claimed.
According to TMZ, Steve’s own companion admitted Steve was out of line and even asked Weinstein if he wanted to call the police. Weinstein declined the offer, and he and his sober coach left the restaurant.
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