London: Actress Hilary Swank has fired Jason Weinberg, her manager of eight-years, following the controversy over her presence at the birthday party of Chechnya’s autocratic president Ramzan Kadyrov.
The 37-year-old star apparently accepted a six-figure fee to attend the party but her image took a hit and now she has decided to fire the staff she blames for the fiasco, the Independent reported.
Swank has also agreed to donate her fee to “various charitable organisations” besides issuing an apology, saying: “I deeply regret attending.”
Weinberg was given the pink slip last week while Amie Yavor and Josh Lieberman, two of Swank’s representatives at Hollywood’s most powerful talent agency, CAA, and the people who made the Chechen booking, also face being moved off her team.
Clearly, Swank is unhappy with her staff for not preventing her from attending the party of the notorious leader, whose dodgy profile is a click away on the internet. A YouTube footage of the celebration shows the Oscar-winner offering warm applause to Kadyrov.
At one point, Swank takes the microphone and says, “I could feel the spirit of the people, and I could see that everyone was so happy,” she said.
“Happy birthday, Mr President!” The October 5 PR debacle saw her join Jean-Claude Van Damme, violinist Vanessa Mae and the singer Seal in publicly singing Kadyrov’s praises. Hollywood stars earn quick money by making personal appearances at private parties and corporate events. Earlier, pop star Beyonce, Nelly Fertado and Mariyah Carey had to apologise for attending a private party organised by slain dictator Muammar Gaddafi’s family in 2009. (PTI)