Italian-American actor Annabella Sciorra has claimed that disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein raped her in the 1990s, and sexually harassed her for years later.
Repotedly, the actor, who featured in Miramax’s ‘The Night We Never Met,’ said she had to receive therapy after the movie mogul forced sexual intercourse on her and subsequently harassed her on numerous occasions afterwards.
Sciorra said after a dinner meeting Weinstein forced entry into her apartment and cornered her until she was backed into her bedroom. The actor said she resisted while Weinstein raped her. Sciorra said her body then began to shake violently, almost as if she were ‘having a seizure,’ and Weinstein left.
The 57-year-old actor said she got so scared after the alleged attack that she started sleeping with a baseball bat by her bedside and sought therapy.
“Like most of these women, I was so ashamed of what happened. And I fought. I fought. But still I was like, Why did I open that door? Who opens the door at that time of night? I was definitely embarrassed by it.
I felt disgusting. I felt like I had f****d up.” Sicorra said the film producer attempted to contact her again, and continued to make unwanted sexual advances.
“I’d come home from work and there’d be a message that Harvey Weinstein had called. For nights after, I couldn’t sleep. I piled furniture in front of the door, like in the movies.”
The actor admitted she was fearful of what might happen to her career if she told anyone about her experience and regrets ‘not being stronger in the moment.’
Weinstein has been accused of sexual harassment, assault and rape by over 60 women. Sciorra is the latest addition to the growing list of women – including Lupita Nyong’o, Ashley Judd, Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Heather Kerr – who have come forward to condemn the ousted Hollywood producer.
Source: PTI