A surprising turn of events occurred in the final moments of the Harvey Weinstein trial when prosecutors called a Weinstein accuser back for further testimony. Ashley Matthau, who testified earlier in the trial accusing Weinstein of masturbating on her during production of the 2004 film “Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights,” returned to the stand Wednesday morning as a rebuttal witness for the prosecution, moments after the defense rested their case.
Matthau stood in stark contrast to a defense witness who testified earlier this week, JoAnn Jansen, the choreographer from “Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights.” Jansen told the jury that she has no idea who Matthau is and was firm in her testimony this past Monday that Matthau was not a principal dancer on the film. On the stand today, Matthau looked through copies of residual checks for her work on the musical film as principal dancer, and shuffled through 22 pages of call sheets that confirmed she was on the “Dirty Dancing” set in Puerto Rico for three weeks, regularly in fittings and rehearsals with Jansen.
Jansen was called by the defense to help their case. After Matthau’s testimony completely contradicting Jansen, it remains to be seen whether the jury will determine that the defense witness helped or hurt Weinstein’s case.
“To this day, I still receive them,” Matthau said on the stand of being sent residual checks. “If you’re a principal dancer or have a speaking role, you get residuals … extras don’t get residuals. But I was a principal dancer, so I get residuals.”
When Jansen testified, the choreographer said with full certainty that Matthau was not a principal dancer, explaining that she absolutely would have remembered her, since she worked so closely with principal dancers and helped to cast them. When the prosecutor showed Jansen the IMDb pages for “Dirty Dancing,” Jansen said that she recognized everyone except for Matthau. “She was credited with being a dancer, but you don’t recognize her?” the prosecutor asked. Jansen responded, “Nope.”
Matthau said on Wednesday that she auditioned for Jansen and was cast as the body double for Romola Garai, the female lead in “Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights,” who starred opposite Diego Luna. Matthau explained to the jury that she was in rehearsals nearly every day and worked alongside Jansen and Luna’s male body double.
When Jansen testified, she said that Garai did not have a body double on the film — which would be highly unlikely on a musical production.
“When you were in Puerto Rico, you said you interacted with Ms. Jansen every day?” prosecutor Marlene Martinez asked Matthau on Wednesday. “Yes,” she responded.
Matthau told jurors that she contacted a representative from SAG, who provided her with call sheets from the “Dirty Dancing” sequel. The call sheets confirmed that she worked on the movie from April 8, 2003 through May 3, 2003.
Matthau also testified that she had confided in the choreographer for help in regards to Weinstein during production on the film. She said that she did not provide her with any help. During Jansen’s testimony on Monday, the choreographer was asked by Weinstein’s attorney if any female dancer met with her to “express any concern,” and she said no.
Following the defense calling Jansen on Monday, an attorney for Matthau issued a statement to Variety, responding to the suggestion that her client never worked as a dancer on “Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights.”
“A quick check of the credits for ‘Havana Nights’ reflects Ashley as a dancer in the movie, and she still receives residual checks to this day. If the defense argues she wasn’t there, they will be lying to the court and the jury,” said attorney Elizabeth Fegan of the firm FeganScott in an email to Variety.
Jansen has worked with Weinstein on a total of four films. Her other choreography credits include “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,” “Uptown Girls,” “Shall We Dance” and the forthcoming “Avatar” sequels.
After Matthau’s testimony, the defense did not cross-examine her, and once the jury was dismissed, a brief heated exchanged occurred between the lead prosecutor and Weinstein’s attorneys.
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