Back in 2018, when the numerous sexual assault allegations against Harvey Weinstein were making headlines, Sons of Anarchy star Ron Perlman swooped onto Twitter with an anecdote about the time he, uh, relieved himself on his hand, and then immediately sought out the lecherous producer for a warm handshake. The viral tweet was a welcomed moment of levity (and revenge) during the height of the #MeToo movement, and now, the actor has expanded on the infamous exchange in a lengthy interview with The Daily Beast where he explains his motivation:
I think it was around 2001, because I was making Blade II with Guillermo in Prague and had a few days off, so I ran down to the Cannes Film Festival. That’s where it happened. I never really had a relationship with Harvey but I wanted to show up to one of his charity events, and when I got on the phone with him to request a ticket, he just acted like a f*ckin’ piece-of-shit pig, like, “Who are you to ask me? Do you know who I am?” He thought I was returning the Revlon guy’s phone call [Ron Perelman], which is why he returned my phone call in the first place, and when he realized I was just the actor he just went off on me:
I said to him, “Well, it’s OK, Harvey, I managed to get a ticket between the time I called you and now, so I’ll be there tonight.” And he said, “Oh, you’ll be there? Well, make sure you shake my hand out of respect.” And I said, “Oh yeah, Harvey, I sure will.” And that’s the genesis of that story.
When asked if Weinstein noticed, Perlman said “he knew it was clammy,” and that he hopes Weinstein saw his now-viral tweet below:
Did I ever tell ya about when Harvey Weinstein told me to make sure I shook his hand at a charity event, so I stopped in the mens room and pissed all over my hand, then went straight up to him on the receiving line? I think about that every time lil donnie opens up his KFC.
— Ron Perlman (@perlmutations) June 25, 2018
By itself, the anecdote is the stuff of legends, but it rocketed even further into viral fame after Donald Trump Jr. tried to score points on Perlman who’s been a very vocal critic of the Trump administration. While attempting to accuse Perlman of not stopping an alleged rapist, Junior clearly didn’t realize that a central element of the Weinstein accusations is that he used his wealth and influence to hide his crimes. Fortunately, Perlman was more than happy to explain the situation.
Hey young don, nice ta meetcha! And thanks for the follow! So…
I never said I knew Harve was a rapist. I never worked for Harve. I wasn’t home his type. I DID know he was a prick though. A prick and a bully. And I gotta thing about that. https://t.co/3cjmnMI5y6— Ron Perlman (@perlmutations) June 26, 2018
And that’s why you don’t mess with a guy who isn’t afraid to stick it to the most powerful producer in Hollywood.
(Via The Daily Beast)