Earlier this month, Kenneth Iwamasa, 59, an assistant to actor Matthew Perry, convicted of conspiracy to distribute ketaminethe substance that caused his boss's death.

Few people understand directly the harmful relationship that can be established at work for a celebrity or to understand the power imbalance that can arise in these situations.

Rowena Chiu, who worked as Harvey Weinstein's personal assistant in 1998, said she witnessed how the producer's fame and power warped the behavior of those around him.

During the two months she worked for him, Chiu claims she was treated as inferior because she was his assistant.which left her vulnerable to Weinstein's abuse.

At that time, the producer attempted to rape her and for years, due to a confidentiality agreement, she was forced to keep silent about the incident. It was only in 2019 that he was able to speak publicly about what happened.

Chiu also reflects on the difference between Harvey Weinstein and Matthew Perry, noting that there is a crucial distinction between the two. While Weinstein is a rapist, Perry was an addict.

Chiu's criticism focuses not on Perry, but on the employees and enablers who enabled his destructive behavior, but without equating them with the victims of Weinstein's abuse of power and sexual violence.

For Chiu, the role of a celebrity assistant often involves responding to any request, whether ethical or legal. These requests can range from lying to your boss to hiding your whereabouts. to an angry partner, to obtaining illicit favors, such as acquiring drugs.

Chiu describes this world as one in which assistants are not treated as people, but rather as disposable accessories, poorly paid and easily replaced.

However, the woman believes that this comparison is misleading. She says that assistants face a double pressure: they lack power, but they have an immense responsibility. In many cases, assistants cease to belong to themselves, subordinated to the demands of their bosses.

He notes that Iwamasa lived full-time with his boss, possibly be available at any time, 24 hours a day. She remembers feeling similar pressure as an assistant, describing herself as a terrified butler, tasked with being invisible and everywhere at once.

The goal, Chiu said, was to achieve the impossible and, at the same time, not let anyone notice. For her, the true measure of success in this role was to go unnoticed, even when the most difficult challenges became possible.

“It's the alchemy of the audience. If you stand out, you're doing a bad job. You will only be successful when no one notices you. nor in the things you have done,” he added.

Rowena Chiu recalls how Harvey Weinstein told her he liked Chinese girls because they were quiet and often talked about the importance of loyalty.

Connect these words to the professional qualities also highlighted in the Iwamasa reports, where discretion and loyalty appeared to be key attributes. These words, according to Chiu, are signals to wealthy clients that you won't just look the other way when necessary.but your indiscretions will also be made easier.

In her case, she was supposed to keep Weinstein's secrets, protect his reputation, and as a result, she ended up becoming one of his victims.

Chiu points out that in Weinstein's case, there was a full circle of people who enabled his criminal behavior. Among them were accountants, board members and lawyers, who They had access to economic resources and power that allowed them to defend themselves.

In this context, celebrities are often surrounded by courtiers who make them believe they are above the law. Few have dared to impose limits on Weinstein or tell him that he has crossed a line.

The system that maintains this imbalance, Chiu says, goes far beyond mere privilege. In the case of Weinstein's sexual assault,Not only did his facilitators assure him that he would get what he wantedbut they made him feel that he had a divine right to do whatever he wanted.

They used arguments like he was a creative genius in need of inspiration or that, despite his actions, he was a good man with a weakness for attractive women. For decades, Weinstein cultivated the image of a “tortured genius” and, according to Chiu, came to believe in his own myth, which eventually consumed him completely.

Rowena Chiu explains the limited power assistants have in the face of abusive behavior from their bosses in the film industry. Often, Participants are fully aware of what is happeningbut they are trapped in a situation from which it is difficult to escape.

Chiu has tried, unsuccessfully, to explain this sense of entrapment to people outside the industry. Many have asked him why he didn’t seek other employment, but in 1998, when Weinstein was at the height of his power, it was nearly impossible to get a meeting with him, much less a job in his office.

Once inside, being fired meant not only losing that job, but also the opportunity to work anywhere else in the industry, since the blacklist was a permanent reality.

As Weinstein’s personal assistant, Chiu recounts how she lost her own identity. She felt like a ghost, her needs diminished and her fate completely tied to that of her employer. This dependence became particularly evident when it came to legal matters.

According to Chiu, if you were ever asked to do something ethically questionableThe answer was always the same: “Don't worry, you'll never get in trouble. Harvey has the best lawyers in the world.” The statement puzzled her, as she always thought: “He has them, but I don't.”

For Chiu, being a separate legal entity from the person she assists means that the responsibility for her actions falls solely on her. No matter how much power or money Weinstein had, or how many lawyers he could contact.

Ultimately, the legal consequences would be up to you alone, revealing the personal risk to which participants are exposed in these types of environments.

Rowena Chiu highlights an even darker, unspoken risk in the relationship between assistants and their employers: When a dispute arises, assistants find themselves trapped with no way out.

The assistant's identity, and even his livelihood, are so intertwined with his boss that society tends to view them as a single entity. However, The legal system does not share this perception.. When the relationship breaks down, as in Iwamasa's case, the addiction is revealed.

Matthew Perry's death permanently severed the bond between him and Iwamasa, who now faces the aftermath without the financial and legal support his employer had previously offered him. Perry, with all his power and resources, is no longer there to protect his assistant, leaving Iwamasa vulnerable to the legal system.

Chiu is not surprised that Iwamasa pleaded guilty. After years in the shadows, the usually invisible assistant suddenly finds himself in the spotlight, a place for which he is unprepared.

In addition to being invisible, the sorcerer may also lack money and power, making him an easy target. Chiu warns that it is too easy to act as an assistant or making the butler a scapegoat when things fall apart, highlighting the fragility of these working relationships in situations of legal conflict.

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*This content was created with the help of artificial intelligence, based on information from La Nación Argentina (GDA) and was reviewed by the journalist and an editor.