Asia Argento makes new allegations of sexual abuse against director Rob The Cohen of The Fast and the Furious.
The Italian actor and director – who has was one of the most outspoken voices against sexual harassment in the entertainment industry and is an early accuser of the disgraced magician Harvey Weinstein – confirmed Sunday Variety allegations she made in the weekend an interview with the Italian newspaper Il Corriere della Sera and other Italian media.
“This is the first time I’m talking about Cohen,” Argento told the Milan daily. “He abused me, made GHB drink, he had a bottle of it,” she said. fast-acting anesthesia with a history of use in date rape.
“At the time, I really did not know what it was. I woke up naked in his bed that morning, “Argento added. She claims that Cohen’s assault took place during the filming of the 2002 action directed by Cohen “XXx,” with Vin Diesel and Samuel L. Jackson.
‘I confirm what [was] reported by Corriere, ”Argento said Variety in a text message. “I talk about it in my autobiography,” she added.
Argento’s accusations against Cohen are discussed in her upcoming autobiography “Anatomy of a Wild Heart” which will appear in Italy from January 26.
Argento said in the Mediaset talk show “Verissimo” to promote the book on Saturday that she had not come out earlier with the accusations against Cohen for various reasons.
In the program, Argento maintained that she was initially unsure of what had happened to her when she was allegedly drugged and raped. ‘I discovered it later and talked to a friend who opened my eyes over the waist [GHB], “she said.
Then, after realizing it, Argento said she “did not want to create another storm”. However, she noted that ‘since two women spoke out against it [Cohen], including his daughter, ”she then decided to come forward with her accusations.
In 2019, Cohen was accused via a Huffington Post report of sexually assaulting an anonymous victim – named “Jane” in the article to protect her anonymity while she was unconscious. The reported assault took place in 2015 after Cohen invited ‘Jane’ to a business meeting in Manhattan to discuss the collaboration with a TV pilot.
Earlier in 2019, Cohen faced similar charges from his daughter Valkyrie Weather, who accused him of molesting her in her childhood. Weather also accused Cohen of taking her when she was a teenager to sex workers in overseas shooting locations. Cohen denied the allegations in both cases.
The director did not respond Varieties requests for comment per press time. A rep for Cohen denied AFP the allegations.
“Cohen denies accusing Asia Argento of assaulting him as absolutely false,” a Cohen spokesman told AFP.
“When they worked together, they had an excellent working relationship and Cohen considered her a friend. Therefore, this statement from 2002 is staggering, especially given what has been reported about her in recent years.”
Argento, who became a leading team in 2017 #MeToo figure when she spoke out against Weinstein for Ronan Farrow’s article “The New Yorker”, was subsequently accused of sexual assault by US actor Jimmy Bennett in 2018. his accusations, which Argento denied.