Sexual Harassment: More Stars Facing Accusations

Two Oscar-winning actors, a Hollywood filmmaker and a senior US news editor are the latest high-profile figures to be accused of sexual harassment.

The actors Kevin Spacey and Dustin Hoffman have been accused of sexual misconduct and have issued apologies.

Meanwhile, six women have accused Brett Ratner, director of the Rush Hour film series and X-Men: The Last Stand, of sexual harassment or misconduct.

Ratner’s lawyer “categorically” denied all of the accusations on his behalf.

A growing number of allegations have been made against public figures in recent weeks.

The allegations have been sparked by multiple women speaking out against the Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, and a subsequent campaign encouraging victims to share their stories of sexual harassment under the #metoo hashtag.

So who has been accused of misconduct?

Kevin Spacey

New allegations have emerged from a number of men accusing Kevin Spacey of sexual misconduct.

US filmmaker Tony Montana claims he was groped by the actor in a Los Angeles bar in 2003. He says he was left with PTSD for six months after Spacey “forcefully” grabbed his crotch.

Mr Montana told Radar Online that he was in his thirties when the incident took place at the Coronet Bar in LA.

It follows an allegation made by Anthony Rapp that the House of Cards actor tried to “seduce” him when he was 14 years old.

Kevin Spacey says he has no recollection of that encounter, and was “beyond horrified”.

Netflix halts House of Cards production

Incidents regarding Spacey are also alleged to have taken place in the UK while the two-time Oscar winner was the artistic director at the Old Vic in London between 2004 and 2015.

Mexican actor Roberto Cavazos, who acted in several plays at the theatre, claims Spacey “routinely preyed” on young male actors.

One man told the BBC about his experience of being invited to spend the weekend with Spacey in New York when he was a teenager in the 1980s.

Read more about the allegations against Kevin Spacey here.

Image captionBrett Ratner, 48, has made a number of blockbuster movies

Brett Ratner

Six women have accused Hollywood filmmaker Brett Ratner of sexual harassment or misconduct.

The women, including The Newsroom actress Olivia Munn, made the allegations in the Los Angeles Times.

Natasha Henstridge, who appeared in Species and The Whole Ten Yards, claimed she had been forced into a sex act with Ratner as a teenager.

The actress, now 43, was a 19-year-old model at the time she alleges Ratner stopped her from leaving a room at his New York apartment and then made her perform a sex act on him.

“He strong-armed me in a real way,” she told the LA Times. “He physically forced himself onto me.”

Ratner’s lawyer “categorically” denied all of the accusations on his behalf in response to the article.

Read more about the allegations against Brett Ratner here.

Dustin Hoffman

Dustin Hoffman has been accused of sexually harassing an intern on the set of one of his films in 1985.

Anna Graham Hunter, a writer, says that when she was 17, the Oscar-winning actor groped her and made inappropriate comments about sex to her.

She told The Hollywood Reporter: “He was openly flirtatious, he grabbed my ass, he talked about sex to me and in front of me.”

Hoffman apologised, and said he was sorry if he “put her in an uncomfortable situation”.

In a statement to the magazine, Hoffman said: “I have the utmost respect for women and feel terrible that anything I might have done could have put her in an uncomfortable situation. I am sorry. It is not reflective of who I am.”

The BBC has contacted representatives of Dustin Hoffman for his response to these allegations.

Image captionMichael Oreskes resigned following accusations he kissed female colleagues without their consent

Michael Oreskes

Senior editor Michael Oreskes has resigned following accusations he kissed female colleagues without their consent during business meetings.

The 63-year-old was asked to step down by the National Public Radio (NPR) network in response to the allegations. He has previously worked for the Associated Press and the New York Times.

Two women spoke to the Washington Post on condition of anonymity, and reported stories of abrupt and unexpected kisses during business meetings. They said they were worried about career development if their names were made public.

One of the women said that while she met Mr Oreskes in the hope of getting a job with the New York Times, he suggested that they eat room service lunch in a hotel, before he unexpectedly kissed her and “slipped his tongue into her mouth”.

He has not commented publicly on the allegations, and journalists at NPR report that they have tried to contact him for comment, without success.

Courtesy : BBC