Hollywood’s widening sexual harassment crisis has ensnared a prominent film director after six women including actress Olivia Munn accused Brett Ratner of sexual assault or misconduct in a Los Angeles Times report on Wednesday.
The reverberations also reached back 32 years as Oscar-winner Dustin Hoffman came forward to apologize for allegedly sexually harassing a 17-year-old intern in 1985.
Writer Anna Graham Hunter alleges in a Wednesday column in The Hollywood Reporter that the now 80-year-old actor groped her on the set of TV movie Death of a Salesman and “talked about sex to me and in front of me.”
Munn also complained about onset behavior, alleging that while visiting the set of Ratner’s “After the Sunset” in 2004, he masturbated in front of her in his trailer. Munn described the incident, without naming Ratner, in a 2010 collection of essays.
Representatives for Ratner didn’t immediately respond to queries Wednesday. Ratner directed the Rush Hour film series, Red Dragon, X-Men- The Last Stand and Tower Heist. Warner Bros., which has a first-look deal with Ratner, said in a statement- “We are aware of the allegations in the LA Times and are reviewing the situation.”
The LA Times report describes other encounters where Ratner aggressively pursued actresses, sometimes following them into a bathroom.
Ratner and Hoffman become the latest Hollywood figures to face allegations of misusing their power to harass actresses, a list that now includes producer Harvey Weinstein and writer-director James Toback. Harassment allegations have also been levied against actors Kevin Spacey and Jeremy Piven.
Mexican actor accuses Spacey of harassment
Meanwhile, a second actor leveled allegations against Spacey. Mexican actor Roberto Cavazos wrote on his Facebook page that he encountered Spacey at the bar of London’s Old Vic Theatre, where Spacey was artistic director from 2004-15, and the actor tried to fondle him against his will.
Cavazos declined an interview request. There was no reply to a request for comment from representatives for Spacey.
In a statement Tuesday, the theatre expressed “deep dismay” at the allegations and said “inappropriate behavior by anyone working at The Old Vic is completely unacceptable.”
Ariane Bellamar accuses Piven of groping
Also Tuesday, CBS said it is “looking into” accusations by actress and reality star Ariane Bellamar that Emmy-winning Entourage star Piven groped her on two occasions.
On her Twitter account Monday, Bellamar alleged that one encounter took place in Piven’s trailer on HBO’s Entourage set and the other occurred at the Playboy Mansion.
Piven, who stars in the new CBS series “Wisdom of the Crowd,” said in a statement that he “unequivocally” denies the “appalling allegations being peddled about me.”
“It did not happen. It takes a great deal of courage for victims to come forward with their histories, and my hope is that the allegations about me that didn’t happen, do not detract from stories that should be heard,” he said.