Italian film actress and director Asia Argento shared allegations of past encounters with Harvey Weinstein for the first time in a story written by Ronan Farrow in the New Yorker Tuesday.
In addition to the article, Asia spoke out on social media. "You will know the truth. And the truth will set you free," she tweeted Tuesday.
On Sunday, Harvey was terminated from The Weinstein company, three days after the New York Times published a story about his years and years of alleged misconduct. In response to the article, one of Harvey's attorneys Charles J. Harder told E! News last week that the article was "saturated with false and defamatory statements."
Now in this New Yorker article, many more allegations of sexual assault are detailed. The article states that in 1997 one of Harvey's producers allegedly invited Asia to what she thought was a party thrown by his company Miramax on the French Riviera at the Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc. Asia, whose movie B. Monkey was distributed by Miramax when it was released later in 1999, felt "professionally obliged" to go to the party.
However, when she got there it was "only a hotel room, empty but for Weinstein."
The piece then discussed what allegedly happened between Asia and Harvey after they ended up in the hotel room together. After "praising" Asia's work, Harvey then left the room and returned "wearing a bathrobe and holding a bottle of lotion." It's then stated in the article that after Asia "reluctantly agreed to give Weinstein a massage" he then "pulled her skirt up, forced her legs apart, and performed oral sex on her as she repeatedly told him to stop."
The article continued, "At some point, Argento said, she stopped saying no and feigned enjoyment, because she thought it was the only way the assault would end." Asia then told Ronan, "I was not willing. I said, 'No, no, no.' . . . It's twisted. A big fat man wanting to eat you. It's a scary fairy tale."
Over the years when she would see Harvey it made her feel "stupid" and "weak." Asia said in the article, "After the rape, he won."
Three years after Asia's first encounter with Harvey, she released a movie she directed and wrote called Scarlet Diva. In one scene of the movie, which Asia tweeted out to her followers Tuesday, it shows a producer in a hotel room ask Asia's character for a massage and then attempts to assault the character. After its release, Asia told Ronan, Harvey saw it and told her, "Ha, ha, very funny." Asia also recalled that Harvey said he was "sorry for whatever happened."
Along with the video tweet from the movie on Tuesday morning, Asia said, "I wrote and directed this scene in 1999. #Weinstein."
In response to the allegations in the article, a spokesperson for Harvey, Sallie Hofmeister, issued the following response to the New Yorker: "Any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr. Weinstein. Mr. Weinstein has further confirmed that there were never any acts of retaliation against any women for refusing his advances. Mr. Weinstein obviously can't speak to anonymous allegations, but with respect to any women who have made allegations on the record, Mr. Weinstein believes that all of these relationships were consensual. Mr. Weinstein has begun counseling, has listened to the community and is pursuing a better path. Mr. Weinstein is hoping that, if he makes enough progress, he will be given a second chance."
After the article was published on Tuesday, many stars spoke out in support of Asia, including her boyfriend Anthony Bourdain. ".@AsiaArgento I am proud and honored to know you. You just did the hardest thing in the world," he tweeted.
Amber Tamblyn also tweeted Asia, telling her, "@AsiaArgento I've got your back like a second spine. We all do. Thank you for coming forward."
On Monday, Asia retweeted a post stating, "The entire Weinstein Company board should resign. F--k these people."
E! News has reached out to Asia and Harvey's attorneys for comment.