Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein showed off his political connections at the 2013 Oscars — even if his "Silver Linings Playbook" did not win Best Picture.
The producer, who engineered past victories for "Shakespeare In Love," "The Artist," "The King's Speech," and more, led an impressive campaign this year to generate buzz "Silver Linings Playbook," a low-budget romantic-comedy-drama.
For a final push, however, Weinstein reached out to former Obama for America 2012 campaign manager Stephanie Cutter, Vulture reported on Monday.
According to Vulture, Cutter was hired to promote the film "not just as a well-made movie, but a culturally relevant and especially politically significant film that was shaping the national conversation about mental health triggered in part by the shootings in Newtown, Connecticut."
In the weeks leading up to the Oscars, Cutter tweeted a link to the making of "Silver Linings Playbook" and a Salon article asking whether "Silver Linings Playbook" could steal the top spot from "Argo."
Weinstein also "sought the advice" of other major Democrats, a Weinstein Company spokeswoman told Vulture:
“When it was clear that Silver Linings Playbook's treatment of mental health issues was becoming a topic in the advocacy community and political circle, Harvey Weinstein sought the advice of a number of friends with experience in those areas, including former Senator Chris Dodd, Senators Chuck Schumer and Kristen Gillibrand, and Stephanie Cutter, who he knows from his work as a supporter of President Obama.”
Earlier last year, "Silver Linings Playbook" director David O. Russell and actor Bradley Cooper met with Vice President Joe Biden to discuss mental health care in light of the tragic Newtown shootings.
Weinstein called in another favor on Oscar night when he got Michelle Obama to hand out the Best Picture Oscar. In fact Weinstein's daughter came up with this idea, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Hollywood celebrities including Weinstein donated millions to Obama's re-election campaign. In August, the producer hosted a $35,800 per-person fundraiser in his Connecticut home which raised $2 million for the Obama campaign.
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