As the decades of sexual harassment and abuse continue to be brought into the public realm, it seems as if more and more actors are facing accusations of sexual misconduct. What started with over 50 allegations against film producer
Harvey Weinstein, has seen household names such as
Kevin Spacey and
Ed Westwick have claims made against them, their careers hanging by a thread.
And now another actor has been pulled into the storm, with Prison Break star Robert Knepper also being accused of sexual assault. The Twin Peaks actor, 58, has been accused of groping a costume designer while on the set of the 1992 movie, Gas Food Lodging.
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Susan Bertram, who was the designer at the time, says that the assault took place inside of Knepper's trailer after she had dropped off some clothes for him. Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter, Ms Bertram claims that the actor reached up her skirt and grabbed her crotch so hard that she was left bleeding.
She goes on to claim that the actor continued the assault, throwing her up against a wall and telling her: "I'm going to f*** your brains out" but she says that she was able to push him away and escape to a nearby bathroom. Bertram says that she confided in her assistant at the time, Dominique Dubois, but that neither of them told anyone else.
Speaking about the incident, the costumer designer said: "Even if I had said something, what were they going to do? Fire their lead actor?"
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Susan said that she decided to come forward after news broke regarding the "Access Hollywood" tape which feature a 2005 conversation between
Donald Trump and Billy Bush in which the now President made some extremely "lewd" remarks.
"I kind of buried it for a long time until Trump came out with his 'Grab ‘em by the p****' thing," she said. "When that happened, I started reeling."
The show business world has been shaken up by the allegations against several Hollywood figures. Both actors Kevin Spacey and Steven Seagal have been accused, alongside directors James Toback and Brett Ratner.
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Following Ms. Bertram's honest interview, Knepper was quick to release a statement on his Instagram account, in which he denied the story, claiming that he has been "falsely accused":
"Over the past few weeks, my wife and I have discussed the pain women have experienced and the bravery they have shown in coming forward. I am shocked and devastated to be falsely accused of violence against a woman. That’s just not who I am. To those who have reached out today with words of support and encouragement, I thank you from the bottom of my heart."
No doubt there is going to be more accusations of sexual misconduct within show business and don't be surprised to see more big names getting drawn into the furore. It's a pretty sad state of affairs where women can't feel safe in the industry they work in, and hopefully with more people speaking up, we will see the toxic culture that has plagued Hollywood for decades be eradicated.
