An old video is circulating of Hollywood praising convicted child predator Roman Polanski amid the recent Will Smith incident at the Academy Awards.
Polanski, who pled guilty to having sex with a 13-year-old girl in 1977, received loud cheers and a standing ovation for winning Best Director at the Academy Awards in 2003 for his film “The Pianist.” Polanski was given the award in absentia because he fled to France before he could be formally sentenced in 1978, Rolling Stone reported. Since then he rarely leaves France where he lives as a fugitive from the U.S. criminal justice system.
Actress Meryl Streep, Director Martin Scorsese, and disgraced producer and convicted sexual predator Harvey Weinstein all visibly gave Polanski a standing ovation. Actors Jack Nicholson and Nicolas Cage are also seen on video cheering. Polanski preyed on the 13-year-old girl at Nicholson’s house in 1977, according to the Guardian. (RELATED: CNN’s Jake Tapper Takes A Blowtorch To Hollywood’s Relationship With Communist China)
Polanski was banned from the Academy in 2018, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
This year’s Academy Awards crowd gave Best Actor winner Will Smith a standing ovation minutes after he slapped host Chris Rock on stage.
Hollywood has been known to take a stance on various political issues, but recent controversy has led some to question Hollywood’s integrity.