The following article contains allegations of sexual misconduct that some readers may find distressing.
Salma Hayek is the latest to come forward with allegations of sexual harassment against disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.
The Mexican actress details harrowing accusations of sexual misconduct and threats of violence in a new column for the New York Times, the news outlet that first published allegations against Weinstein in October.
Hayek claims that she was frequently confronted with unwanted sexual advances from Weinstein while they worked together on the Academy Award-nominated biopic Frida in 2002.
"I did not care about the money; I was so excited to work with him and that company," she recalled. "In my naïveté, I thought my dream had come true. He had validated the last 14 years of my life. He had taken a chance on me — a nobody. He had said yes.
"Little did I know it would become my turn to say no… No to me taking a shower with him. No to letting him watch me take a shower. No to letting him give me a massage. No to letting a naked friend of his give me a massage. No to letting him give me oral sex. No to my getting naked with another woman."
The tense environment on the set of Frida was heightened after Weinstein allegedly threatened to kill Hayek when she turned down his sexual advances on one occasion.
Addressing why she'd waited until now to come forward, Hayek explained: "I hid from the responsibility to speak out with the excuse that enough people were already involved in shining a light on my monster.
"In reality, I was trying to save myself the challenge of explaining several things to my loved ones."
Weinstein's lawyers haven't yet responded to these latest accusations, but did say last week: "Mr. Weinstein has never at any time committed an act of sexual assault, and it is wrong and irresponsible to conflate claims of impolitic behavior or consensual sexual contact later regretted, with an untrue claim of criminal conduct.
"There is a wide canyon between mere allegation and truth, and we are confident that any sober calculation of the facts will prove no legal wrongdoing occurred. Nonetheless, to those offended by Mr. Weinstein's behavior, he remains deeply apologetic."
The Pulp Fiction producer is currently facing police investigations in the US and the UK, and has faced other misconduct accusations from the likes of Paz de la Huerta, Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Rose McGowan, Cara Delevingne and Lupita Nyong'o.
Weinstein has been in treatment in Arizona since shortly after the first allegations against him were made public by the New York Times back in October.
Rape Crisis England and Wales works towards the elimination of sexual violence. If you've been affected by the issues raised in this story, you can access more information on their website or by calling the National Rape Crisis Helpline on 0808 802 9999. Rape Crisis Scotland's helpline number is 08088 01 03 02.
Readers in the US are encouraged to contact RAINN, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800-656-4673.
Night News Editor
Justin has been with Digital Spy since 2010, and in that time, has covered countless major news events for DS from the US.
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