By that point, Epstein had pleaded guilty to state charges of procuring for prostitution a girl below the age of 18, registered as a sex offender, and served 13 months in custody.
“I went to all the usual suspects and nobody was interested in it,” says Shearer, whose long-gestating docuseries Epstein’s Shadow: Ghislaine Maxwell finally makes its way to Peacock on Thursday evening.
But Shearer’s fascination had shifted to Ghislaine Maxwell, the mysterious woman at Epstein’s side for decades who was arrested in July 2020 after hiding from authorities for months.
I think she learned early in the game how to navigate difficult men, based on her father, and how to sort of align herself with the type of man who is temperamental and tyrannical.
When Robert Maxwell died mysteriously in 1991, Ghislaine essentially became the family spokesperson—left to deal with scandal when it was revealed that Robert had pledged millions from his company’s pension funds to help pay off his monumental debts.
Many of Ghislaine’s friends never understood the true nature of her relationship with Epstein—which means the docuseries, too, isn’t able to fully nail down the specific dynamic of their relationship.
“Epstein was a really odd, socially awkward guy.
Shearer said she is waiting to see how the docuseries lands with audiences before deciding whether it is worth pursuing a follow-up installment.
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