Harvey Weinstein accuser Asia Argento claims director Rob Cohen 'drugged & sexually assaulted her' filming xXx in 2002
ASIA Argento, who previously accused disgraced media magnate Harvey Weinstein, is accusing director Rob Cohen of sexual abuse during the filming of "xXx" in 2002.
Argento, an Italian actor and director who accused Weinstein in 2017, accused "The Fast and the Furious" director of sexual abuse after claiming he had given her a date rape drug.
"It’s the first time I’m talking about Cohen," Argento said to Italian newspaper Il Corriere della Sera. "He abused me, making me drink GHB, he had a bottle of it."
"At the time, I really didn’t know what it was. I woke up in the morning naked in his bed," Argento added, saying the assault reportedly took place while she filmed "xXx" with Vin Diesel and Samuel L. Jackson.
She later confirmed to Variety what the Italian newspaper said.
"I confirm what [was] reported by Corriere," Argento said. "I talk about it in my autobiography."
A spokesperson for Cohen responded to Argento's claims, denying them entirely.
"Mr. Cohen categorically denies Asia Argento’s accusation of assault against him as absolutely false," the spokesperson said in a statement.
"When they worked together, they had an excellent working relationship and Mr. Cohen considered her a friend, so this claim dating back to 2002 is bewildering, especially given what has been reported about her in recent years," it ended.
Argento's claims against Cohen will be laid out in her upcoming autobiography "Anatomy of a Wild Heart," set to be released in Italy on January 26.
While promoting her book, Argento – whose partner was the late Anthony Bourdain – mentioned she kept quiet about her claims against Cohen as she didn't know what truly happened to her.
"I discovered later, speaking with a friend who opened my eyes about that substance [GHB]," she said on the talk show "Verissimo" on Saturday.
Once she realized she was reportedly date raped, she said she "did not want to create another storm," but only came forward "since two women have spoken against [Cohen], including his daughter."
A Huffington Post report in 2019 accused Cohen of allegedly sexually assaulting an unnamed victim while she was unconscious.
Similarly in 2019, Cohen faced allegations from his daughter Valkyrie Weather, who accused him of molesting her when she was a child and taking her to visit sex workers while shooting overseas locations.
"While Rob will in all likelihood escape criminal justice, I demand that my story be heard," Weather said. "I am not seeking financial restitution, nor do I have a career to promote."
"My greatest hope is that others who have been hurt by Rob Cohen feel that they are able to come forward as well."
Cohen has denied both allegations.
Argento became a symbol of the #MeToo movement in 2017 after her interview with Ronan Farrow came to light, highlighting her alleged abuse at the hands of Harvey Weinstein.
Asia said Weinstein raped her after he invited her to a party — and she arrived to find him alone in a hotel room in just a bathrobe.
She said Weinstein made her give him a massage with lotion then forcibly performed oral sex on her.
The Italian actress, 21 at the time, said she was terrified by the "horrible trauma."
She added: "He was so big. It wouldn’t stop. It was a nightmare. I was not willing. I said, ‘No, no, no!’ It’s twisted. A scary fairytale."
She was subsequently accused of sexual abuse herself in 2018 by actor Jimmy Bennett. She denied the claims, but her late partner Anthony Bourdain paid Bennett a $380,000 settlement.
The young actor reportedly claimed that in 2013 he had sex with Argento in a hotel room in California when he was 17 — where the age of consent is 18.
Bennett would later say he only came forward after seeing Argento in the news claiming sexual abuse against Weinstein.
Argento admitted to having sex with Bennett, but not knowing he was then a juvenile.
She went on: "It (sic) wasn't raped but I was frozen. He was on top of me. After, he told me I had been his sexual fantasy since was 12."
She added Bourdain only paid the settlement to keep the matter private and to help with Bennett's economic problems.
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