In the midst of the allegations of sexual harassment involving disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, veteran Chicago photographer Linda Matlow — a mainstay at area red carpet and celebrity events — got a reminder of her time working with Weinstein several decades ago.
Matlow’s memory was jogged when she read an online story from Vanity Fair (“Will Hollywood Clean Up It’s Act in the Wake of Harvey Weinstein?”) that popped up in her email inbox a few days ago. While looking at the photo of Weinstein in his old New York office with framed photos on the wall, Matlow “took a closer look and [realized] two were mine!”
They dated back to a photo and video shoot Matlow did for Weinstein, “in the mid-1980s while he was filming a music video for Sister Sledge’s ‘Here to Stay’ at Soldier Field that featured a number of Chicago Bears. The song was featured in the 1986 Weinstein film “Playing For Keeps.” The two Matlow shots in the Weinstein office photo are of Harvey with the Bears’ Jim McMahon and William “The Refrigerator” Perry, and Weinstein with Sister Sledge and various members of the Bears.
Though expressing the outrage shared by so many, Matlow did note that in her dealings with Weinstein, “he was respectful and professional and never harassed in any way. I was obviously not his type.” The photographer noted that she had met Weinstein several years earlier, while covering a press junket for another film.
Echoing an emotion expressed by many lately, Matlow added, “I feel sorry for all the men and women that have been harassed in [show business] — or in any workplace.”
