Monday 7 November 2011

Hilary Swank Dropped by PR Firm Over Chechnya

Hilary Swank’s bad month just got even worse. In the wake of the storm of bad press surrounding her paid appearance at a birthday event for Chechen president, and alleged human rights violator, Ramzan Kadyrov, the two-time Oscar winner has been dumped by her PR team at 42West, a source familiar with the situation confirms exclusively to EW. The publicity firm parted ways with Swank over a disagreement on how best to deal with the fallout from the Oct. 5 event, which was also attended by Jean-Claude Van Damme, Seal, and English violinist Vanessa-Mae.
Earlier this week, it was widely reported that Swank fired her manager of eight years, Jason Weinberg, and two of his associates at CAA, though not her lawyer, Jeff Bernstein, who reportedly played a significant role in the Chechnya visit. Three weeks ago, Swank apologized for attending and promised to donate her fee to charity, but appeared to stop short of taking personal responsibility. “If I had a full understanding of what this event was apparently intended to be,” she said, “I would never have gone.


However, even these sacrificial lambs were not enough. Yesterday, Swank herself got fired by her public relations firm, 42West. Entertainment Weekly reports how it was less Swank’s appearance in Chechnya that led to her being dropped, but more a disagreement of how to deal with the fallout from the event.


Swank has since said she did not have full knowledge of what the gig in Chechnya involved. As she stated in her apology:


“I deeply regret attending this event, which has thrown into question my long and deeply-held commitment to the protection of human rights. I would never intentionally do anything that raised doubts about such commitment. I will continue to donate my time and my financial resources not only to the charities with which I am currently affiliated, but also those dedicated to the preservation of human rights. If I had a full understanding of what this event was apparently intended to be, I would never have gone.”
Both 42West and Swank herself have yet to comment on any split. What do you think – is this just a case of simple naivety on Swank’s part?


All about: Ramzan Kadyrov, Vladimir Putin,  Moscow,  Russia,  Dmitry MedvedevHilary Swank,  Human rights

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