British Actress Lysette Anthony Says Harvey Weinstein Raped Her: ‘I Was Just a Body, Young Flesh’
British soap star Lysette Anthony has become the latest actress to come forward and accuse Harvey Weinstein of sexual misconduct; in this case, rape.
“I’ve buried this story for so long that dredging it all up feels as if I’m piecing together a jigsaw made up of smashed shards of glass,” the “Hollyoaks” star said in an interview with the Sunday Times, recalling meeting Weinstein in 1982 and being “grabbed” by him for the first time a few years later.
She went on to describe their traumatic encounter when he visited at her home.
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“I was in my dressing gown and I answered the door to find Harvey standing there,” she said. “He pushed me inside and rammed me up against the coat rack in my tiny hall and started fumbling at my gown. He was trying to kiss me and shove inside me. It was disgusting.”
“Finally I just gave up,” she continued. “At least I was able to stop him kissing me. As he ground himself against me and shoved inside me, I kept my eyes shut tight, held my breath, just let him get on with it. He came over my leg like a dog and then left. It was pathetic, revolting. I remember lying in the bath later and crying.”
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Anthony said she continued to meet with Weinstein, who went on to become a powerful producer in the world of independent film as the co-founder of Miramax, and later The Weinstein Company.
“What you have to understand is that no one turned down an opportunity to meet Harvey Weinstein. No one,” she said. “By then I’d just given up. I knew I was powerless and at least I wouldn’t have to do much. I was just a body, young flesh. It wouldn’t take long and no one knew.”
According to the Sunday Times, Anthony first shared that story 15 years ago. But after allegations from dozens of women came out last week, she reported it to Metropolitan police.
Also Read: London Police Open Harvey Weinstein Investigation
“I can’t stand by and see all these brave women tell the truth and not stand up alongside them,” Anthony said, referencing the other women who have accused Weinstein of sexual harassment or assault, including actresses Ashley Judd, Gwyneth Paltrow, Asia Argento and Rose McGowan.
It was reported earlier this week that London police had opened an investigation into Weinstein, which “will be assessed by officers from the Child Abuse and Sexual Offenses Command.” Weinstein has denied all allegations of nonconsensual sex.
Related stories from TheWrap:
Sarah Polley: Harvey Weinstein Is 'Just One Festering Pustule in a Diseased Industry'
Motion Picture Academy Expels Harvey Weinstein
Lisa Bloom Says Working With Harvey Weinstein Was a 'Colossal Mistake'
