James Bond regular Naomie Harris is opening up about her #MeToo moment.
In an interview with The Mail on Sunday’s You magazine, the 45-year-old revealed that like most actresses, she experienced sexual harassment in the entertainment industry, specifically when a “huge star” groped her during an audition!
According to the Venom: Let There Be Carnage actress, an A-lister slid his hand UP her skirt while she was reading for a part. Reflecting on the violating situation, Naomie shared the most horrifying thing was that eyewitnesses did nothing to rectify the problem!
The actress candidly explained:
“What was so shocking about it was the casting director was there and the director, and of course no one said anything because he was — he is — such a huge star.”
Oof. That’s so awful! It remains unclear who the perpetrator was or when the situation happened. Someone who is STILL a huge star? So he hasn’t been outed as a sexual harasser yet?? Hmm.
Harris doesn’t seem eager to reveal his identity, either. She doesn’t say whether this was a film she ended up doing or not, so we couldn’t begin to narrow it down. But Naomie is more focused on addressing the wider sexual harassment problems which went on for too long throughout the industry:
“That was my only #MeToo incident, so I felt very lucky, given how rife that behavior was.”
Having been in the film business for some time now, she’s grateful to see a big change in behavior behind the scenes. In fact, on a more recent project, someone was removed from the set for acting out of line! She added:
“I was on a project where there was a #MeToo incident and there was no hesitation… [the perpetrator] was immediately removed.”
Amazing! Exactly what should be done in this situation!
Related: Armie Hammer Exits Treatment Facility After Six Months Amid Sexual Assault Allegations
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time Naomie faced challenges in her career. While she’s proved she can maintain her presence on-screen after she turned 40 (despite what some naysayers in her life believed), she struggled to get her foot in the door in the beginning, recalling:
“Even Sainsbury’s [grocery store chain] and Marks & Spencer [British retailer] turned me down. I tried waitressing — and no one would have me. I didn’t know what to call myself. I didn’t think I could say ‘actress’ when no one would employ me.”
As a child, she also went through a “traumatic” health battle that has impacted the way she lives today. As a 15-year-old, Harris had surgery to correct scoliosis, but the recovery was very challenging:
“I had a rib removed, my lung deflated, then all the muscles near my spine cut through so they could insert a metal rod all the way up my back. I had to learn how to walk again. It was a horrific experience. Going through something so traumatic, I learned that my health is a very fragile gift. So at that young age, I made the decision to do everything that I possibly could to maintain it.”
Wow! What an important mindset to have, and we’re sure this perseverance has helped her follow her dreams and process uncomfortable situations that arise. Though, of course, no one should ever be forced to deal with sexual harassment, no matter what industry they’re in!
Thoughts, Perezcious readers?
[Image via Avalon/MEGA/WENN]
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