[USA Today] LOS ANGELES ‐ Gwyneth Paltrow, Octavia Spencer and other Hollywood stars called for solidarity at Variety's Power of Women luncheon in Los Angeles on Friday, an event coming in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal rocking Hollywood.Honoree Octavia Spencer made note of the timing from the stage of the Beverly Wilshire Hotel during her speech, which touched on the spate of bad news in the media. Weinstein, who was fired from The Weinstein Company following reports chronicling decades of sexual harassment towards women, was front and center in this bad news.
"This past week, the film industry awoke to a scandal that rocked us to our core. Scores of brave women came forward and recounted stories of sexual harassment perpetrated by a producer who had abused his power for nearly three decades," Spencer said, her voice shaking with emotion.