Mira Sorvino 'heartsick' over sexual assault claims against Asia Argento
Actress Mira Sorvino, along with Asia Argento, was one of the first women to go public with allegations of sexual misconduct against Harvey Weinstein last fall.
After reports this week that Argento was accused of sexually assaulting an underage male actor and secretly paid him off, Sorvino said she feels "heartsick."
"Having just touched down from several weeks abroad, I am reeling from the recent news. Although hoping against hope that it is not true," the Time's Up and #MeToo activist wrote on Twitter Tuesday, breaking her silence on the issue.
The post goes on: "I've been heartsick over the recent allegations against Asia Argento. Time will clarify things and perhaps she will be exonerated, but if true, there is no lens that makes it better. Child sexual assault is a heinous crime and is against all that I and the #MeToo movement stands for."
"I remain dedicated to fight for all victims and change the culture that encourages abuse of power in sexual relationships," Sorvino added.
Sorvino isn't the only #MeToo champion to speak out about Argento. Ashley Judd, who also accused Weinstein of sexual harassment, quoted and tweeted a column Alyssa Milano wrote for The Wrap on Tuesday, where the actress says #MeToo and Argento are not one and the same and doesn't want people to "invalidate" the movement because of this story.
"People pounced on the news that a vocal advocate for survivors has been accused of sexual battery, leveraging it to “prove” that #MeToo is hypocritical and that sexual harassment and assault are not part of institutional misogyny," Milano writes. "They are wrong."
She continued, "The fact is, these two truths can exist at once: A victim of assault can also be an offender. It is sad and infuriating to say the least, but one victim’s alleged horrid behavior does not nullify an entire movement ... Let me be clear: nothing can or will ever invalidate #MeToo, because it is a movement created by and for millions of survivors throughout the world."
Rose McGowan also shared her thoughts, similar to Sorvino's, tweeting Monday that, "I got to know Asia Argento ten months ago. Our commonality is the shared pain of being assaulted by Harvey Weinstein. My heart is broken. I will continue my work on behalf of victims everywhere."
The New York Times reported Sunday that Argento paid actor Jimmy Bennett $380,000 after he alleged that she sexually assaulted him in 2013, when he was 17 years old.
In a statement Tuesday, Argento "strongly" denied the claims, insisting Bennett was undergoing financial hardships and began demanding money from her and her late boyfriend, Anthony Bourdain. She says it was Bourdain who paid Bennett to stop him from harassing her.
She continued, "I am deeply shocked and hurt by having read news that is absolutely false. I have never had any sexual relationship with Bennett."
In a statement to The Associated Press on Monday, a lawyer for Bennett said at this time, the actor "does not wish to comment on the documents or the events." The statement asked for privacy and noted that Bennett would take "the next 24 hours, or longer, to prepare his response."
Argento is one of the original 13 women included in the October 2017 New Yorker report about Harvey Weinstein’s alleged sexual harassment and assaults that dated back decades, which he has repeatedly denied.
Weinstein's lawyer commented Monday on the claims against Argento, saying it should cast doubt on the allegations she has made against the disgraced producer.
