Asia Argento accuses a director of “The Fast and the Furious” of sexual abuse

Italian actress and director Asia Argento accused Rob Cohen, the American director of films, of sexual abuse The fast and the furious, In an interview published yesterday by Corriere della Sera.

According to various European media, in an interview with the Italian newspaper, the actress denounced that the aggression occurred in 2002.

“It’s the first time I’ve talked about Cohen. He abused me by making me drink GHB, I had a bottle,” he said, referring to a drug used by sex offenders in his victims.

“At the time I didn’t really know what it was. I woke up naked in the morning in her bed,” she added, specifying that this happened at the time she was acting in the film xXx directed by Cohen, along with Vin Diesel and Samuel L. Jackson.

Argento was one of the first to report sexual abuse in the world of cinema, which contributed to the #MeToo campaign. In 2017 she claimed that producer Harvey Weinstein raped her in 1997, when she was 21 years old.

Asia Argento confirmed to AFP the content of the interview. A spokesman for the US director denied the allegations. “Mr Cohen categorically denies the completely false allegation of sexual assault that Asia Argento made against him,” he explained in a statement. “When they worked together they had an excellent working relationship and Cohen considered her a friend, so this accusation dating back to 2002 is baffling, especially considering what has been said about her in recent years,” added.

On the other hand, the actress was accused in 2018 of sexual assault by American actor Jimmy Bennett, for events that occurred in a California hotel when he was 17 years old. The actor then confessed that he was very “ashamed and afraid” to speak publicly against Argento. At first, she denied having sex with him, but later retracted, although she denied Bennett’s version of events. The legal age of consent for sexual intimacy in California is 18. Argento was 37.

In relation to press reports claiming that he paid the young American actor $ 380 thousand, Argento explained that his then-partner, chef Anthony Bourdain, had given him money to “respond compassionately to the request for financial assistance from the plaintiff.

The new accusations of the actress will be included in a book to be published on January 26 in Italy, Anatomy of a wild heart (Anatomy of a wild heart).