Back in 1978, the acclaimed director of Chinatown and Rosemary's Baby fled the country amid allegations he raped a 13-year-old girl. He hasn't stepped foot in America since. Now, the French-born director, who once said, "When you are 12, you no longer need the parents," is finally accepting blame for the crime.
"There was no plot against me. There was no setup. It was all my fault. I think my wrongdoing was much greater than Bill Clinton's," the 66-year-old says in the December issue of Esquire magazine.
"There's a different justice for people who are public figures and those who are not," he adds.
Indeed.
Polanski, then 42, took 13-year-old Samantha Geimer to Jack Nicholson's house (he was out of town), loaded her up with Quaaludes and champagne and then had sex with her. He pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, but fled to Europe to avoid a prison sentence of up to 50 years.
In his autobiography, the filmmaker said the judge who heard the case reneged on a deal that would have had Polanski behind bars for just 90 days, and, faced with the prospect of years in the slammer, he decided to take off.
As recently as two years ago, lawyers represented Polanksi were negotiating for the director's return to the States--with him serving no jail time--but nothing came of those talks.
About the same time, Geimer came forward to say she wouldn't mind if Polanski came back to the U.S.
"I really wish this would be over, that he would reach agreement with courts, no longer be a fugitive," she said.