When you are a star, they let you. Are celebrities really allowed to do anything? Hear the outrageous stories of "artists" accused of the worst sexual abuse. And totally unpunished.
In 1977, overnight, Roman Polański turned from one of the most coveted Hollywood directors to ... a famous rapist. 13-year-old Samantha Gailey accused him of forced sexual intercourse.
The girl, an ordinary American teenager, dreamed of a modeling career. Polański offered her a photo session for the "Vogue Hommes" magazine. Shooting took place at Jack Nicholson's Los Angeles estate. Polański photographed Samantha, among others, by the pool and in the jacuzzi. They worked until sundown and then there was a rapprochement between them.
Confusion worse than rape
Geimer still claims she was raped. What does Polański say to that? In the recently published autobiography, "Roman by Polański", the director calls the whole matter "a moment of carefree oblivion", which could leave him behind bars for many years. He also had to leave the country where he was very successful. "I didn't see any connection between what happened the day before and the rape," he writes, recalling the day he was arrested.
The creators of Rosemary's Baby were initially charged with 6 charges. It was, as she mentions in the book, "providing a minor with a prescription-only drug, committing an act of promiscuity and debauchery, committing a sexual act, perversion, sodomy and drug rape ". Most of them were withdrawn before the trial took place before the court. Only the charge of prostitution with a minor was upheld. The accused pleaded guilty and was sent to a prison in California for 90 days, where he was to undergo psychological tests. He was released after 42 days.
Roman Polanski's sexual intercourse with Samantha Gailey took place in Jack Nicholson's villa in Los Angeles.
Initially, it seemed that Polański would not be treated very harshly. However, influenced by public opinion, which labeled the director as a rapist, the judge changed his mind. He began to take into account many years of imprisonment. Without waiting for the verdict, the filmmaker decided to leave the United States.
In 2009, Polański apologized to Samantha for changing her life so much. A 50-year-old woman, then named Geimer at the time, publicly said she forgave him. She also confessed that what she went through when her case was blown up by the media around the world was worse than the rape itself .
Robin Hood in the dock
The director of Polish origin was not punished for his act, but the rape case left an imprint on his life and career. The consequences of "carefree oblivion" are borne to this day. He was unable to pick up an Oscar in person, and he ended one of his films under house arrest in Switzerland. The specter of extradition to the United States has not left him for years. However, there are characters who even avoided such a "punishment".
The accusations of rape of a minor did not break the career of one of the great Hollywood stars of the 1940s. Errol Flynn, the famous actor of the role of Robin Hood, was arrested in 1942 for the rape of two fourteen-year-olds. Soon he was put on trial.
The star's trial was widely commented on in the media. Articles cited his statements like "I like old whiskey and young women." Flynn was famous for his numerous love affairs, marital adultery, and his love of alcohol. Nevertheless, he managed to save himself from jail because ... undermined the teenager's reputation .
The defendant's defense attorney was convincing the judge that Betty Hansen and Peggy Satterlee were not doing well. The girls reportedly engaged in affairs with married men. They were even accused of having an abortion. From that attack, the attorney smoothly moved to the conclusion that the accusations against Flynn must be unfounded.
Errol Flynn, an American actor of Australian origin, did not avoid being charged with rape.
The judges appointed in the case of rape of minors included 9 women and 3 men. The actor was acquitted. Peggy Satterlee commented in the media that she expected such a sentence. The women who made up the majority of the judges, she said, were charmed by Flynn from the start.
Show star or serial rapist?
Over the past two years, the world's tabloids have lived the story of Bill Cosby. The legendary comedian and actor were accused of sexual harassment by over 50 women . Victims claimed to have drugged and abused them.
Cosby gained worldwide fame mainly thanks to the sitcom "Bill Cosby show" broadcast in 1984-1992. He played the main role in it - a loving husband and father of a group of children, working as a gynecologist-obstetrician. The black comedian was associated with this image until 2005, when the media first learned about his dark past. It was then that several women accused him of sexual harassment. Since then, the list of his victims has grown steadily.
The accusations against the famous comedian Bill Cosby came as a shock to many.
The accused claims that the women who accuse him of rape are racist. He maintains that he has not had intercourse with either of them without her consent. Cosby's trial is expected to start soon. Many cases have already expired, so the charges against the actor will be reduced. He himself has no intention of appearing in the courtroom and is counting on the effectiveness of the lawyers representing him.
The kinky tastes of a comedian
Sexual violence in the movie world really has a long history. Even legendary stars were in turmoil in sex scandals. Few people today remember that the world's most famous comedian, Charlie Chaplin, had a soft spot for underage partners. One of his wives, Lita Gray, confessed after many years that the silent movie star seduced her when she was only 15 years old.
Chaplin had to marry the girl, otherwise he would have been charged with rape of a minor. Apparently, the star persuaded Lita to terminate the pregnancy. Gray's mother threatened to call the police if the comedian did not marry her daughter. To avoid a scandal, the couple quietly married in Mexico, the bride was only 16 and the groom - 35. Lita Gray met Chaplin for the first time at the age of twelve, then starred in his film "The Kid", and a few years later she auditioned for the biggest comedian hit "Gold Rush", that's when she caught the eye of the star.
Charlie Chaplin's second marriage was to be caused by the threat of Lita Gray's mother that she would accuse the famous comedian of rape on her daughter.
The marriage lasted three years and turned out to be a failure, and the divorce papers that were made public provided genuine food for the press. Lita accused her husband of making her engage in derogatory sexual practices, forbidden by the law of the time, humiliating and insulting her. At the time of the divorce, Chaplin's career almost collapsed. The public considered him a perverse sex maniac, demands were made to stop showing his films.
The tragic end of the scandal from years ago
Modern Hollywood is also not free from sexual scandals. Birth of a Nation director Nate Parker and his friend Jean Celestin were accused of raping a fellow student. The crime was supposed to take place in the late 1990s. The case was brought to court. Celestin, who currently works with Parker on a film production, was sentenced to six months in prison. Parker was acquitted, but the controversial story did not end there.
The story of the rape accusation was publicized again when it was revealed that the woman who claimed she had been abused by Parker had committed suicide. She probably suffered from depression from the rape. The director never pleaded guilty.
However, his way of explaining past events was not well received by the public. In one high-profile interview, Parker portrayed himself as an exemplary husband, father of five, and brother of four sisters. He was accused of not acting fairly, using his family to build his reputation.
Problems in the family
For Nate Parker, the family is like a screen that he hides behind to avoid uncomfortable questions about the past. In the case of his more famous and older colleague, Woody Allen, it is quite the opposite, it is his relatives - his ex-wife and children accuse him of sexual harassment. In 2014, the director's adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow, published a letter confessing that her father raped her in the attic when she was just a few years old. He claims to have molested her for many years.
Woody Allen was accused of sexual abuse by his ex-wife and children.
In 1992, Mia Farrow, then wife, officially accused Allen of molesting Dylan. However, the charges were dismissed, partly to spare the girl the trauma of a trial, and no conclusive evidence was found that a crime had occurred. It was around this time that a controversial and secret affair between Woody Allen and 19-year-old Soon-Yi, also Farrow's adopted daughter, came to light.
The family again began accusing the director of pedophilia. Allen divorced Mia Farrow and married Soon Yi in 1997. Dylan Farrow, while upholding her rape story, has yet to file an official charge against her adoptive father.
Bibliography:
- Roman Polański, Roman by Polański , World of Books 2017.
- Roman Polański wanted and wanted , dir. Marina Zenovich, documentary, USA - UK 2008.
- Amanda Holpuch, Jessica Glenza, Nicky Woolf, The Bill Cosby sexual abuse claims - 57 women and the dates they went public , "The Guardian" 31/12/2015.
- Carrie Wittmer, Bill Cosby:Racism 'could' have played a role in sexual-assault accusations , "Business Insider" May 16, 2017.
- Bill Higgins, Throwback Thursday:Errol Flynn Stood Trial for Statutory Rape in 1934 , "Hollywood Reporter", Jan 5, 2014
- Nicole Puglise I don't feel guilty ':Nate Parker addresses 1999 rape allegation, The Guardian, September 30, 2016.
- Christopher Bucktin, Charlie Chaplin seduced me when I was just 15 and made revolting sexual demands, “The Mirror”, 03/04/2015.