’Sex predators rife’

Rush accused tells court harassment common in the theatre

AN actress who accused Hollywood star Geoffrey Rush of stroking her breast told a court that “sexual predators” and “sexual harassment” were rife in the theatre industry.

Eryn Jean Norvill said there was “a culture of bullying and harassment” in the rehearsal room of the Sydney Theatre Company’s production of King Lear and that other cast members were silenced by Mr Rush’s star power.

Under cross examination at Mr Rush’s defamation trial with The Daily Telegraph Ms Norvill yesterday said: “I believe people knew about it but … there was a level of hierarchy that kept that level of fear and silence in place.”

Mr Rush, 67, is suing The Daily Telegraph over a series of articles late in 2017 which reported that a young actress had lodged a complaint with the Sydney Theatre Company over his alleged “inappropriate behaviour”.

The actress was later named as Eryn Jean Norvill, who played Mr Rush’s daughter Cordelia in the production.

Ms Norvill had earlier told the court that she had felt “trapped” as Mr Rush “slowly” and “deliberately” ran his fingers over her right breast as she played dead on the stage.

Yesterday Ms Norvill said: “There are bullies and sexual predators and sexual harassment happened in my workplace and it happens often.”

Mr Rush’s barrister Bruce McClintock, SC, asked her if she was let down by fellow actress Robyn Nevin doing nothing about the harassment after she raised it with her.

“Ms Nevin has always been kind to me, whether she enabled Geoffrey’s behaviour is a different matter. We’re from different generations, we may have different ideas about what is culturally acceptable in the workplace,” she said. “Yes, she enabled the behaviour.”

The Oscar winner denies any wrongdoing and claims two front page articles in the newspaper about the alleged incident painted him as a “pervert” and “sexual predator”.

The newspaper argues the stories published draw on allegations made by Ms Norvill and are true.