Blythe Danner Defends Daughter Gwyneth Paltrow After Columnist 'Disparages' Her

"I hope that this is the point of no return where change will occur, not only in our industry but also others."

Blythe Danner has her daughter's back.

The 74-year-old actress wrote in to The New York Times this week after columnist Maureen Dowd called out Gwyneth Paltrow for continuing to work with Harvey Weinstein -- and ultimately winning an Oscar for her role in Shakespeare in Love, the movie he produced -- after he allegedly sexually harassed her.

“Others whom Weinstein asked to give him a massage in his hotel suite refused but continued to collaborate, like Gwyneth Paltrow, who put aside qualms to become ‘the first lady of Miramax,'” Dowd wrote.

"I cannot remain silent while Maureen Dowd disparages my daughter, Gwyneth Paltrow, for the manner in which she chose to handle Harvey Weinstein's attempt at a sexual encounter when she was 22," Danner wrote in response to the columnist's remarks. "Gwyneth did not 'put aside her qualms to become 'the first lady of Miramax' back then,' as Ms. Dowd would have it. She continued to hold her own and insist that Mr. Weinstein treat her with respect."

Danner goes on to write that her hope is that all these women coming forward about their own experiences with sexual harassment and/or assault will bring about a real change in the entertainment industry and beyond.

"As a longstanding member of the industry, I am much aware of the many years of its prejudiced and unacceptable behavior toward women," she noted. "No one would argue that Harvey Weinstein isn't finally getting what he deserves. But I hope that this is the point of no return where change will occur, not only in our industry but also others."

In addition to Paltrow choosing to work with Weinstein again, her ex-fiance, Brad Pitt, also starred in a movie that was produced by the movie mogul even after hearing of the alleged incident. A source told ET that when Pitt was made aware of Weinstein's alleged inappropriate behavior, which is said to have occurred in 1996, he "felt compelled to confront" the producer, telling him repeatedly that it better "never happen again."

Years after Pitt confronted Weinstein, the two worked together on the 2009 war drama, Inglourious Basterds.

"It was a great script that was sent to him by writer-director Quentin Tarantino," the source explained. "Harvey wasn’t at all involved in why he did the movie. Brad had minimal interaction with Harvey."

Here's more on the alleged incident that took place between Paltrow and Weinstein:

Latest News