DIRECTOR AND RADIO CHIEF ARE LATEST TO BE ACCUSED OF SEXUAL MISCONDUCT
▶ Scandal that began with the exposure of Harvey Weinstein’s abuse of women continues to spread
Blockbuster director Brett Ratner and the head of news at American radio station NPR were drawn into Hollywood’s sexual misconduct scandal on Wednesday, as more women spoke of abuse they had suffered.
Actors Natasha Henstridge and Olivia Munn have accused Ratner of sexual harassment, the Los Angeles Times reported, as A-lister Kevin Spacey faced more accusations over his conduct with young male stars.
Henstridge told the Times she was a 19-year-old fashion model in New York in the early 1990s when Ratner, then a music video director in his early 20s, forced her to perform a sex act.
Four other women told stories to the newspaper about sexually inappropriate or intimidating behaviour by Ratner, 48, whose movies including Rush Hour and X-Men: The Last Stand have grossed more than US$2 billion (Dh7.3bn) worldwide.
“He strong-armed me in a real way. He physically forced himself on me,” said Henstridge, who has appeared in the movies Species and The Whole Nine Yards.
“At some point, I gave in and he did his thing.”
Henstridge said she was inspired to come forward by the stories of other women who had reported sexual misconduct by Miramax producer Harvey Weinstein and director James Toback.
Munn, who has appeared in the HBO show The Newsroom and the movie Magic Mike, told the Times that Ratner – who denies the allegations – had performed a sex act in front of her on the set of the movie After the Sunset (2004).
“I have represented Mr Ratner for two decades, and no woman has ever made a claim against him for sexual misconduct or sexual harassment,” his lawyer, Martin Singer, told the newspaper in a 10-page letter.
“Furthermore, no woman has ever requested or received any financial settlement from my client.”
Meanwhile, Ratner filed a defamation lawsuit in Hawaii over an alleged rape there.
Allegations of abuse by Weinstein that were published last month in The New York Times and The New Yorker have encouraged other alleged victims to speak out.
The scandal reached the US media business on Wednesday as NPR chief executive Jarl Mohn wrote in an email to staff that he had asked Mike Oreskes, senior vice president for news, for his resignation because of “inappropriate behaviour”, and the executive had obliged.
“I am deeply sorry to the people I hurt. My behaviour was wrong and inexcusable and I accept full responsibility,” Oreskes was quoted by the station as saying.
He was placed on leave on Tuesday after allegations in The Washington Post from two women who said they had been harassed in the late 1990s, when Oreskes was Washington bureau chief for The New York Times.
He also has been accused of harassment by an employee at NPR, the station reported on its website.
Writing in the Hollywood Reporter, the author Anna Graham Hunter accused Dustin Hoffman – today aged 80 – of sexually harassing her when she was a 17-year-old intern on the set of the Death of a Salesman television film.
Mexican actor Roberto Cavazos became the latest on Tuesday to accuse House of Cards star Spacey of sexual harassment, predicting more such claims would emerge as Netflix suspended production of the two-time Oscar winner’s hit series.
Cavazos, who acted in several plays at London’s Old Vic theatre when Spacey, 58, was artistic director from 2004 to 2015, said the Hollywood star routinely preyed on young male actors.
Spacey was already facing a torrent of criticism over claims that he made a “sexual advance” on Anthony Rapp in 1986, when the actor was 14, and for appearing to deflect the scandal by confirming that he is gay.
Meanwhile, Beverly Hills Police Department has said it was investigating complaints against Weinstein and Toback, who deny forcing themselves on women.
More than 50 women, including stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie and Mira Sorvino, have accused 65-year-old Weinstein of sexual abuse and harassment.
The LA Times interviewed 38 women who accused Toback of unwanted sexual encounters, and the paper said it received emails and phone calls from more than 200 others.
Entourage actor Jeremy Piven has also been the subject of sexual assault allegations this week, brought against him by actress, reality-TV star and Playboy Playmate Ariane Bellamar.
Bellamar alleged on Twitter that the 52- year- old Golden Globe and Emmy Award winner groped her on the set of the 2004-11 HBO show.
“I unequivocally deny the appalling allegations being peddled about me. It did not happen,” Piven said.
I am deeply sorry to the people I hurt. My behaviour was wrong and inexcusable, and I accept full responsibility MIKE ORESKES Senior vice president for news, NPR