More actresses against Weinstein

Annabella Sciorra
Daryl Hannah

NEW YORK • Emmy-nominated actress Annabella Sciorra has accused Harvey Weinstein of rape, detailing to The New Yorker Magazine her harrowing encounter with the producer.

She joins dozens of women who have already levelled allegations of sexual abuse against the 65-year-old.

Sciorra, who received an Emmy nomination for her role in acclaimed television series The Sopranos, said in the early 1990s that he forced his way into her apartment.

He came in "like he owned the place and started unbuttoning his shirt". She urged Weinstein to leave, but "he shoved me onto the bed".

"I struggled, but had very little strength left... I was so ashamed," Sciorra, now 57, said, adding that she fell into depression and stopped working for several years.

She kept the story under wraps for fear of professional backlash. While she did act again, he continued to harass her for years, Sciorra said.

Actress Daryl Hannah - who appeared in Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003), which Weinstein produced - said he pursued her, but she managed to dodge his advances.

She alleged that he once "burst in like a raging bull" into her hotel room - where she was with a male make-up artist - and later asked to touch her breasts. When she refused, "I experienced instant repercussions" in the film industry.

"I called all the powers that be and told them what had happened," Hannah said. "It didn't matter. We are not believed."

She said among those she told were Oscar-winning director Quentin Tarantino, who has admitted knowing for decades about Weinstein's behaviour and expressed regret for not speaking out. Weinstein is being investigated by detectives in Los Angeles, New York and London.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 30, 2017, with the headline More actresses against Weinstein. Subscribe