(JTA) — Australian Jewish actress Yael Stone, a star of the Netflix prison show “Orange is the New Black,” has accused actor Geoffrey Rush of inappropriate sexual behavior.
Stone made the accusations in an interview with the Australian national broadcaster, as well as in an interview with New York Times columnist Bari Weiss published on the newspaper’s website on Sunday night.
Stone said that during the Belvoir St. Theatre’s 2010-11 production of “The Diary of a Madman” in Sydney, Rush danced naked in front of her in their dressing room, used a mirror to watch her while she showered and sent her erotic text messages.
“Geoffrey was working within the boundaries of what he felt was playful. The fact of the matter is, the behavior was very inappropriate at times and did make me feel uncomfortable and compromised,” she told the ABC.
“Whenever women particularly speak about issues like this their career generally suffers. I’ve factored that into my calculations and if that happens, I think it’s worth it,” she said.
Stone’s father is Jewish and her mother converted to Judaism. She grew up in Sydney.
Rush, one of Australia’s most widely recognized and influential stars, is best known to American audiences for his roles in “Shine,” “The King’s Speech” and the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series. In a statement issued on Monday afternoon, he denied any inappropriate behavior. He called her accusations “incorrect” and said some were “taken completely out of context.”
“Clearly Yael has been upset on occasion by the spirited enthusiasm I generally bring to my work,” Rush said in a statement released by his lawyer. “I sincerely and deeply regret if I have caused her any distress.”
Earlier this year, actress Eryn Jean Norvill accused Rush of touching her inappropriately.
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