There is help for sick and suffering people like Harvey: Ashley Judd

LOS ANGELES: Actor Ashley Judd, one of the first women to allege sexual harassment by disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weisntein, has said there is help for a "sick and suffering" person like him.

The "Double Jeopardy" actor delivered a message to Weinstein during her conversation with Diane Sawyer on US network ABC, saying, "I love you and I understand that you are sick and suffering, and there is help for a guy like you, too, and it's entirely up to you to get that help."

Recalling her encounter with the Hollywood producer, the 65-year-old actor said she had a business appointment with him, which according to her was "his pattern of sexual predation. That was how he rolled."

"I remember the lurch when I went to the (hotel) desk and I said, 'Mr Weinstein, is he on the patio?' And they said 'He's in his room', and I was like 'Oh, you're kidding me?" Judd added.

However, when Judd went to Weinstein's room, he asked to give her a massage and then asked for her to give him one, Judd said.

Judd recalled fighting a "volley of 'no's" which Weinstein ignored.

"Who knows? Maybe he heard them as 'maybe.' Maybe he heard them as 'yeses.' Maybe they turned him on," she said.

To get out of his room, Judd sort of struck a deal with the producer.

"He kept coming back at me with all this other stuff. And finally I just said, 'When I win an Oscar in one of your movies, OK?' And he was like, 'Yeah, when you get nominated.' I said, 'No, when I win an Oscar.' And then I just fled.'" said the actor.

Judd said she has made peace with herself for the way she handled the situation at that time.

"Am I proud of that? I'm of two minds. The part that shames myself says, 'No.' The part of me that understands the way shame works says, 'That was absolutely brilliant. Good job, kid. You got out of there. Well done.'

"It's a very important word, shame, and it's a very important thing to talk about, so we all do the best we can and our best is good enough. And it's really OK to have responded however we responded," she added.