Actress Naomie Harris is among a host of celebrities and others speaking out in recent years about personal experiences with sexual assault. Harris, in talking to The Mail on Sunday, Dec. 12, joins the list of others — to include actors Gabrielle Union, Terry Crews and Viola Davis — who have shared openly.
Harris said she was groped during an audition by a “huge huge star.” Choosing to keep the man’s name anonymous, Harris explained that he slipped his hand up her skirt while they were doing a read-through for the audition.
“What was so shocking about it was the casting director was there and the director, and of course no one said anything because he was – he is – such a huge star,” she said. “That was my only #MeToo incident, so I felt very lucky given how rife that behavior was.”
Harris who plays Tia Dalma, aka Calypso in “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest,” said she does, however, see a shift in how people are responding to sexual assault matters.
The 45-year-old said, “Now things have definitely changed: I was on a project where there was a #MeToo incident and there was no hesitation, [the perpetrator] was immediately removed.”
Besides speaking out about her experience, Harris was also in the headlines in November, speaking to the press about her upcoming movie, “Swan Song.” Harris is reuniting with her “Moonlight” co-star Mahershala Ali, who will play the role of her husband, who is keeping the secret from her that he is dying from a terminal illness.
Ali’s character, Cameron Turner, is presented with a new opportunity that may allow him to stay with his family even when he passes on. “Swan Song” is being released in theatres on Dec. 17, and will also star Glenn Close.
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