Van Der Beek reveals sexual harassment by ‘older, powerful men’

I’ve had them corner me in inappropriate sexual conversations when I was much younger. I understand the unwarranted shame, powerlessness & inability to blow the whistle. There’s a power dynamic that feels impossible to overcome. James Van Der Beek, actor

THE ACTOR James Van Der Beek revealed on Wednesday that he, too, faced sexual harassment early in his career, in the wake of mounting allegations of serial sexual harassment and assault against movie producer Harvey Weinstein.

In a series of tweets, the 40year- old “Dawson’s Creek” star denounced Weinstein’s behaviour as “criminal” and “unacceptable,” and said that as a young actor he “had ( his) a-- grabbed by older, powerful men.”

“I’ve had them corner me in inappropriate sexual conversations when I was much younger,” he wrote.

“I understand the unwarranted shame, powerlessness & inability to blow the whistle. There’s a power dynamic that feels impossible to overcome,” he also tweeted.

The actor later attempted to tamp down speculation on the identities the people he alleges had sexually harassed him.

Van Der Beek wrote, “FTR, the harassment I tweeted about was by people 99.9% of you don’t know. 2 were charged ( by others) & punished. The other has since died.”

Van Der Beek currently plays a superstar DJ on the series “What Would Diplo Do?,” which premiered in August.

Since allegations against Weinstein were first publicised in the New York Times last week, followed by a story in the New Yorker magazine and another Times article this week, many women in the film industry have come forward to condemn the disgraced Hollywood mogul and to share their personal experiences of sexual harassment. So far, 32 women have accused Weinstein of sexual harassment and assault, according to a running list being kept by Vanity Fair. Among them are Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Rose McGowan.

High-profile figures have also publicly denounced Weinstein in recent days, including Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

Actor Ben Affleck similarly expressed his outrage at the allegations against Weinstein – only to come under scrutiny himself for having groped then “Total Request Live” host Hilarie Burton in the early 2000s. Affleck later apologised for his behaviour.

Now, male actors have also come forward to accuse powerful industry men of sexually harassing them.

On Tuesday, actor Terry Crews shared his experience of being groped by a “high level Hollywood executive.”

Crews said he was at a Hollywood function last year with his wife when the incident happened.

Crews did not confront his assailant immediately, fearing that an escalation could turn violent and land him in jail, he said. Ultimately, the 49-yearold “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” star decided not to pursue the incident because he worried about jeopardising his career.

“I let it go. And I understand why many women who this happens to let it go,” he wrote.

Both Crews and Van Der Beek zeroed in on the film industry’s power dynamics that often make it possible for sexual predators to commit assaults with impunity.

“Hopefully, me coming forward with my story will deter a predator and encourage someone who feels hopeless,” Crews wrote.

In the week since the allegations against Weinstein were first publicised, the 65year- old Hollywood producer has been fired as co- chairman of the Weinstein Co., which he co-founded with his brother. On Tuesday, his wife of 10 years, Georgina Chapman, announced that she was leaving him. While Weinstein initially apologised for his behaviour, he has also “unequivocally denied” any allegations of non- consensual sex, spokeswoman Sallie Hofmeister said in a statement to The Washington Post.