Italian actress Asia Argento, an alleged rape victim of Harvey Weinstein, said the Italian press is attacking her for coming forward 20 years later after the incident.
Argento claims Weinstein raped her at a party by giving her forced oral sex and then she resorted to having consensual sex with him for the next five years, she said in an interview with Italy’s RAI network Wednesday, reported Page Six.
“Sexual blackmail [is] a rite of passage for actresses,” former journalist Renato Farina wrote Libero Quotidiano, questioning why Argento did not say anything sooner. Argento’s relationship with Weinstein was “prostitution, not rape,” Farina added.
Argento plans on suing Farina for defamation of character, the actress announced Monday.
Argento shared a picture of herself during the time of the alleged rape on Twitter.
Me looking (and feeling) peaceful in ’97, 21 years old, a few months before I was raped by #HarveyWeinstein pic.twitter.com/tr6sgfIr4v
— Asia Argento (@AsiaArgento) October 15, 2017
Argento also called out the Italian media for “victim blaming.”
Italian women speak out on social media against patriarchy and victim blaming #quellavoltache ✊ https://t.co/0VsBwtiCOG
— Asia Argento (@AsiaArgento) October 15, 2017
She did not want to sacrifice her career, so did not come forward sooner, Argento told La Stampa. She also apologized for signing a petition to allow director Roman Polanski to come back to the United States following raping a 13-year-old girl and escaping to Switzerland.
Argento left Italy for Berlin following the backlash from the Italian press, saying she will return if situations become better for women in her country, reported The Local.
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