The shocking claim is part of a series of allegations that have emerged in the wake of The New York Times' expose on one of the most powerful men in Hollywood.

Weistein is on indefinite leave from his own company after reports he had settled eight sexual harassment claims out of court over the course of three decades. The award-winning producer has said he regrets what happened and is seeing a therapist, with The Weinstein Company conducting an internal investigation.

The allegations have sent shockwaves through Hollywood, with witnesses coming out of the woodwork with fresh claims against the movie mogul.

One film industry source told The New York Post that Weistein called then 24-year-old British-American actress Hayley Atwell she was a "fat pig on screen" while cast and crew were taking a break from filming Brideshead Revisited. The Hollywood veteran then allegedly told Atwell she should watch what she ate.

The unnamed source then went on to reveal that Atwell's co-star Emma Thompson was furious with what happened.

"Emma called Harvey out for being a misogynist and a bully and really gave him a hard time," the source said.

"A lot of female producers were harassed by Harvey, and they put up with it because they would otherwise get a reputation as a troublemaker," another source told the tabloid. "This is a very small industry."

Thompson has previously revealed she threatened to quit Brideshead Revisited because a co-star was told to lose weight. However, it was not known who allegedly made the insulting remarks until now.

Earlier this year, the Love Actually star told Swedish chat show Skavlan she was furious because her co-star already looked "exquisite" and there are too many people struggling with eating disorders.

"I said to them, 'If you speak to her about this again, on any level, I will leave this picture. You are never to do that'," she said. "It's evil, what's happening, what's going on out there, and it's getting worse."