I have always enjoyed Hadley Freeman's articles, but I was surprised by her piece about our Bafta awards afterparty at the Rosewood (The award for the best afterparty goes to ... 18 February). I have been reviewed and criticised for many movies in the past, but no one has ever reviewed one of my parties … or not, at least, before they have even gotten started properly.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but the fun photos of Oprah, Naomi Campbell, Rita Ora and my wife, Georgina, at the party featured in her article pose a strange juxtaposition to the less-than-enthusiastic description her words gave. "For about 45 minutes, the only people in the enormous dining room are myself and a regiment of bossy PR women in tiny black dresses, barking into their headsets."
When I host a party or event I take that role very seriously. Hadley writes: "And speaking of wealthy, scary people, who should arrive but Weinstein.
"'Hadley,' he says, his voice heavy with condescension, 'enjoy yourself'." I always want all my guests to have a fun and relaxed time, which is what I genuinely meant when I said to Hadley "enjoy yourself". I wanted her to have fun and not feel like she had to work the whole night. It certainly wasn't "heavy with condescension".
If Hadley had done her research, she would have found out that Weinstein Company parties always go on until very late, as they did this time when Michael Fassbender walked in at 4am. We hosted guests from Leonardo DiCaprio and Steve Coogan to Uma Thurman and Cate Blanchett. We look at this party as an opportunity for friends of the Weinstein Company to relax, have a glass of champagne and enjoy themselves. We invited very few members of the press, and the few that we did invite were invited not as reporters but as friends of the company – Hadley included. I want to feel like all my guests can let their hair down.
Maybe Hadley left a bit early. My parties always go into full gear an hour or two in and last way into the morning – this one included, which went on until 4.30am. Even 80-year-old Philomena Lee was there until 3am with her husband and daughter. I'm guessing Hadley also left before the impromptu music performance when the Rolling Stones's back-up singer, Lisa Fischer, from our film 20 Feet from Stardom, sang with Rita Ora and Karen Elson. Everyone was on the dancefloor – even Oprah and me. Hadley also seems to have missed the delectable chocolate and coffee room which, let me tell you, had the best chocolate chip brownies and cookies I have ever tasted.
And you don't have to take just my opinion, hear what other titles had to say – The Times: "At a party this good, it's impossible to play it cool". Or Vogue's Hamish Bowles: "The glamour was too much even for me". And Grazia: "Entertained by an amazing brass band including a man with flames coming out of his instrument. What. A. Night."
Or here's what one of Hadley's own readers commented online: "Maybe, just maybe, they just wanted to go to a party and not an interview, for a change :)"
Next time Hadley Freeman comes to one of our parties she should relax, loosen up, have a glass of champagne and be sure to stay the whole night and really, truly … enjoy herself.
