NOTE: This article contains disturbing and sexually explicit language. Please read at your own discretion.
Actor Dustin Hoffman has been accused of sexually harassing a 17-year-old intern on the set of 1985 TV movie Death of a Salesman. The accuser, Anna Graham Hunter, is an author and was a teenager at the time of the alleged harassment.
Hunter, 49, wrote about her allegations in the first person for the Hollywood Reporter, and it was published Wednesday morning.
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Hunter claims that she worked for five weeks as a production assistant on the set and says Hoffman, then 48 and now 80, would say sexually inappropriate things to her and grope her without consent.
“He asked me to give him a foot massage my first day on set; I did,” Hunter wrote. “He was openly flirtatious, he grabbed my ass, he talked about sex to me and in front of me. One morning I went to his dressing room to take his breakfast order; he looked at me and grinned, taking his time. Then he said, ‘I’ll have a hard-boiled egg … and a soft-boiled clitoris.’ His entourage burst out laughing. I left, speechless. Then I went to the bathroom and cried.”
“I loved the attention from Dustin Hoffman. Until I didn’t,” she added.
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Hunter says that she detailed all of Hoffman’s alleged behaviour in a diary, which she also mailed to her sister at the time.
“Today, when I was walking Dustin to his limo, he felt my ass four times,” she wrote. “I hit him each time, hard, and told him he was a dirty old man.”
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Mortified and upset by Hoffman’s alleged remarks, Hunter claims that she was told by a supervisor on set to “sacrifice” some of her values for the sake of a seamless production.
Hoffman issued a public apology in response to the article, saying, “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.”
In the mid-’80s, Hoffman was arguably at the peak of his career, but in the past, his reputation has raised some questions. He admitted that he slapped co-star Meryl Streep to help with her authenticity during the filming of 1979 Oscar-winning film Kramer vs Kramer. Streep also said he taunted her during filming.
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Hoffman later blamed his divorce, partying and drug use for his behaviour on the Kramer vs Kramer set.
Hoffman’s Hollywood counterparts, Harvey Weinstein and James Toback, are currently facing their own sexual allegations — Weinstein is nearing 100 different accusers and Toback has more than 300. Both have denied any allegations of non-consensual sex.
Weinstein is under criminal investigation in Los Angeles, New York City and London, while Los Angeles police have started up an investigation on Toback.
Early Monday, actor Anthony Rapp accused Kevin Spacey of sexually harassing him when he was a 14-year-old boy. In an ambiguous apology, Spacey claimed not to remember the situation and said sorry for his behaviour.
On Wednesday morning, the Los Angeles Times published a report alleging Hollywood producer Brett Ratner sexually harassed at least six women, including actors Olivia Munn and Natasha Henstridge.
If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse or is involved in an abusive situation, please visit the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime for help. They are also reachable toll-free at 1-877-232-2610.
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