BACKLASH AGAINST #METOO.
Actor Michael Douglas is vigorously denying an allegation of sexual misconduct from three decades ago — even before the publication of the claim. Meanwhile, actor James Franco said sex misconduct accusations against him aren’t accurate. The denials come d
Michael Douglas has jumped ahead of allegations he masturbated in front of a former employee, insisting he’s not about to sit back and become the villain of a harassment story.
In an interview with Deadline, the 73-year-old Basic Instinct actor denied committing the sex act in front of a woman 32 years ago, calling it a “complete lie.”
“I felt the need to get ahead of this. It pertains to me but I’m also getting a sense of how it reflects in our culture, and what is going on today,” he said. “I see it as a cautionary tale.”
He said The Hollywood Reporter contacted him via his lawyer regarding the woman’s claims that he used “colourful language” in front of her, “spoke raunchily, or dirtily with friends of mine in private conversations on the phone.” Of the woman’s other claim about the sex act, Douglas said: “I remembered this woman: sophisticated, intelligent, good sense of humour, a novelist, who has written books and published novels and was an active feminist, and proud of it. My head was reeling. I just couldn’t put this together.”
Insisting she “could have excused herself ” if she was offended by the language he used in private conversations, Douglas added the allegations he blackballed the unnamed women were “completely untrue.”
According to the actor, the journalist at The Hollywood Reporter agreed to sit on the story over the holidays, but in the New Year the publication got back in touch and said, “‘She’s running around, possibly trying to give this story to other people, so we’re going to run with it’.
“I said, ‘I don’t think that’s justification, just because you might get scooped, to run a story like this’ ... I was floored. I didn’t know what to say and I tried to digest it. The accusations are minimal, except of course for the idea of masturbating in front of her. She supposedly had three friends who would back her up, that she had mentioned this to ...
“How am I, in a 50-year career in this industry, dealing with an employee 33 years ago who perhaps is disgruntled that I let her go, even though I have never heard from her in 32 years. And a legitimate trade publication is going to try and print this story? There is no corroboration, just that they found out somebody else might run the story.”
Douglas called the whole saga “extremely painful.”
He added: “I’m fearful. I have jobs going with studios who all seem to be supportive at this time. I’m hurt, really hurt and offended and I wonder if people realize when you do something like this, it hurts a lot more than just one person.”