Asia Argento.Photo: Sipa via AP Images
Asia Argento, a #MeToo activist and one ofHarvey Weinstein’s most high-profile accusers, has accusedThe Fast and the Furiousdirector Rob Cohen of sexual assaulting her in 2002, which Cohen denies.
Argento, whose allegations against Cohen appear in her autobiographyAnatomy of a Wild Heartwhich will be released in Italy later this month, addressed the allegations during recent interviews with Italian media outlets, according toVarietyandThe Wrap.
“He abused me, making me drink GHB, he had a bottle of it,” she told newspaperIl Corriere della Sera,the outlets reported. “At the time, I really didn’t know what it was. I woke up in the morning naked in his bed.”
“I discovered later, speaking with a friend who opened my eyes about that substance [GHB],” she said on a subsequent appearance on the talk showVerissimo,according toVariety.Argento also confirmed the allegations toVariety.
A spokesperson for Cohen told PEOPLE in a statement that the director “categorically denies” the allegations.
“Mr. Cohen categorically denies Asia Argento’s accusation of assault against him as absolutely false,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “When they worked together, they had an excellent working relationship and Mr. Cohen considered her a friend, so this claim dating back to 2002 is bewildering, especially given what has been reported about her in recent years.”
The director was previously accused of sexually assaulting a woman while she was unconscious, according to a 2019Huffington Postreport. The woman, who chose to remain anonymous and was referred to in the report as “Jane,” alleged that the assault took place in 2015 after she attended a business meeting with Cohen.
At the time, Cohen’s lawyer released a statement to the outlet denying any wrongdoing.
In 2019, Cohen’s daughter, Valkyrie Weather, alsoaccused himof sexually assaulting her when she was a child. In a statement toThe Hollywood Reporter,Cohen denied the allegation as being “categorically untrue.”
Meanwhile, in Argento’s interview on the Italian showVerissimo,the actress said that she decided to come forward with her allegations “since two women have spoken against [Cohen], including his daughter,“Varietyreported.
source: people.com
