Lea Seydoux claims Harvey Weinstein tried to sexually assault her

In a lengthy article for the Guardian newspaper, Lea explained: "When I first met Harvey Weinstein, it didn't take me long to figure him out. We were at a fashion show. He was charming, funny, smart - but very domineering. He wanted to meet me for drinks and insisted we had to make an appointment that very night. This was never going to be about work. He had other intentions - I could see that very clearly.

"We met in the lobby of his hotel. His assistant, a young woman, was there. All throughout the evening, he flirted and stared at me as if I was a piece of meat.

"He acted as if he were considering me for a role. But I knew that was bulls**t. I knew it, because I could see it in his eyes. He had a lecherous look. He was using his power to get sex."

The award-winning actress said the "most disgusting" thing about Weinstein's behaviour was that "everyone knew" how he would treat women in the movie industry.

What's more, she claimed that inappropriate behaviour is "very common"

in Hollywood.

Lea shared: "One night, I saw him in London for the Baftas. He was hitting on a young woman. Another time, at the Met Life ball, I saw him trying to convince a young woman to sleep with him. Everyone could see what he was doing.

"That's the most disgusting thing. Everyone knew what Harvey was up to and no one did anything. It's unbelievable that he's been able to act like this for decades and still keep his career. That's only possible because he has a huge amount of power.

"In this industry, there are directors who abuse their position. They are very influential, that's how they can do that. With Harvey, it was physical. With others, it's just words. Sometimes, it feels like you have to be very strong to be a woman in the film industry. It's very common to encounter these kinds of men."