I handled Amazon boss’s advances by myself, says Friel
‘My own way of handling things’
ACTRESS Anna Friel says she did not discuss claims of ‘unwanted advances’ from a former Amazon boss because she was strong enough to ‘handle it’ herself.
Ex-Amazon Studios president Roy Price is alleged to have behaved inappropriately towards the Marcella star at the Edinburgh TV Festival in 2016, prompting her to leave a formal dinner early.
Yet Ms Friel, 41, has now broken her silence and said the incident ‘did not damage me enough to comment on’ at the time.
She said: ‘I refused to comment. It wasn’t something that was big enough to talk about. I’m a very strong girl, I know how to handle myself, and I didn’t report that story, it was bystanders and onlookers.
‘But I don’t want to add fuel to the story. I am very, very, very much in solidarity with anybody who has been put into a horrific situation, in all areas of life, but it wasn’t something that damaged me enough to give comment to.
‘I’ve got my own way of handling things. I don’t feel I should be pressured. You’ve also got the right not to speak about something.’ Claims: Roy Price and Weinstein
Ms Friel told the Radio Times she had experienced ‘so many’ instances of abusive behaviour in her career, but that it had ‘not had an effect on me’.
Instead, she insisted that her experiences only served to make her ‘very, very strong’. Ms Friel also hailed the advice and support she received from older actresses, including Maggie Smith and Judi Dench, at the beginning of her career.
‘They had dinner with me quite a few times, gave me advice and looked after me, and called to ask how I was doing,’ she added. ‘I’ll never, ever forget that kindness. So, I wasn’t really one to mess with.’
Price, who is understood to be a friend of disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, was also accused of ignoring actress Rose McGowan’s claims that Weinstein had raped her.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Price has also been accused of sexually harassing Isa Hackett, producer of the Amazon show The Man In The High Castle.
The 50-year-old resigned following the allegations last autumn and his fiancée, TV writer Lila Feinberg, called off their November wedding.
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