Six women, including actors Olivia Munn and Natasha Henstridge, alleged that producer and director Brett Ratner sexually harassed or assaulted them, according to a new Los Angeles Times report.
The Rush Hour and X Men: The Last Stand director, who denies all of the claims, is the latest Hollywood heavyweight to be accused of sexual misconduct following dozens of allegations made against Harvey Weinstein (who denies some, but not all, of the claims.) Ratner?s attorney did not immediately respond to TIME?s request for comment.
Munn claims that Ratner masturbated in front of her in 2004 and told her years later that he ejaculated on magazine covers she was featured on. Munn wrote about the 2004 incident in her 2010 book, which prompted Ratner to claim in a 2011 interview that he ?banged her a few times, but forgot her.? Ratner later said that he lied about sleeping with her.
Henstridge alleged that Ratner forced her to perform oral sex in the early 1990s when she was just 19 years old. Eri Sasaki, who was working as an extra on Rush Hour 2, told the Times that Ratner touched her without her consent and then asked her to go to the bathroom with him. When she rebuffed him, she says he responded: ?Don?t you want to be famous??
Ratner?s lawyer, Martin Singer, denied all allegations in a statement to the Times. ?I have represented Mr. Ratner for two decades, and no woman has ever made a claim against him for sexual misconduct or sexual harassment,? Singer said. ?Furthermore, no woman has ever requested or received any financial settlement from my client.?
Just days before the Times? investigation was published, Variety reported that Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot backed out of presenting an award to Ratner at a dinner for the Jewish National Fund due to scheduling conflicts. Gadot did not immediately respond to TIME?s request for comment about why she backed out of the event.
Gadot was replaced with Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins, who said in a statement that she was ?extremely distressed? about the allegations.
Unreal creator Marti Noxon subsequently praised Godot and tweeted about Ratner?s 2011 comments about Munn.
?No, Brett. The problem is you. And all other guys like you in our business who think ALL women are whores because you couldn?t get any,? Noxon wrote. ?You want to know why marginalized people r so F*****G ANGRY? Because we work ten times as hard for less recognition, less pay and have to smile at the Ratners of the world who cover 4 each other and just keep failing up.?
http://time.com/5005250/olivia-munn-natasha-henstridge-brett-ratner-sexual-misconduct/
