Renée Zellweger slams Harvey Weinstein for claiming she performed 'sexual favours' for him

Renee Zellweger has spoken out about disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein's misconduct for the first time. Photo / Getty

Renée Zellweger has blasted claims she traded sexual favours with Harvey Weinstein for movie roles.

On Wednesday, a class-action lawsuit was filed against the disgraced movie mogul, with six women alleging that Miramax, The Weinstein Company and its board conspired with Weinstein to "perpetuate and conceal widespread sexual harassment and assault".

In the lawsuit, one of the women claimed that the former producer tried to talk her into having sex with him, and allegedly told her he could help her career the way he had with Zellweger and Charlize Theron.

The women, who have all publicly accused Weinstein in the past, include Louisette Geiss, Katherine Kendall, Sarah Ann Thomas, Melissa Sagemiller, Nanette Klatt and Kiwi model Zoe Brock.

According to one woman, Weinstein told her "that Renée Zellweger, Charlize Theron and other actresses gave sexual favors." He then allegedly asked, "Don't you want your career to be more than just this little teen film?"

Zellweger has worked with Weinstein a number of times, including on Bridget Jones' Diary, Cold Mountain and Chicago.

In a statement to Fox News, a rep for Zellweger denied the claims: "If Harvey said that, he's full of s**t."

Renee Zellweger starred in Bridget Jones' Diary, distributed by Harvey Weinstein's company Miramax Films. Photo / supplied

It's the first time the actor has spoken publicly about Weinstein's conduct in the wake of damning allegations against him.

Earlier this week, The New York Times reported that Weinstein told multiple women he'd had sex with Gwyneth Paltrow in a bid to coerce them into sleeping with him.

One woman, who accused Weinstein of sexually assaulting her in 2004, claimed that he kept a framed photo of Paltrow in his bedroom. Another who alleged that Weinstein sexually harassed her in 2000 said that Weinstein told her he'd been intimate with Paltrow and other stars.

The actor previously told the Times that Weinstein put his hands on her and suggested she give him a massage at his Peninsula Beverly Hills hotel suite when she was 22 years old, saying, "I was a kid, I was signed up, I was petrified."

After her then-beau Brad Pitt confronted Weinstein over the incident, Paltrow claims the disgraced producer "screamed at [her] for a long time."

The Oscar-winning producer has been accused of sexual misconduct by more than 50 women since The New York Times and The New Yorker first released reports alleging decades of sexual misconduct.