Geoffrey Rush Danced Naked in Front of Me: OITNB Actress

Yael Stone comes forward with new allegations of inappropriate behavior against Australian actor
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 17, 2018 5:33 AM CST
Geoffrey Rush Has a New Accuser: OITNB Actress
Yael Stone arrives at an "Orange Is the New Black" even on March 14, 2014, in Los Angeles.   (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

A new allegation of inappropriate behavior against Geoffrey Rush comes from a fellow Australian, who also happens to be a well-recognized face from Orange Is the New Black, reports Deadline. Yael Stone, the 33-year-old actress who plays Lorna Morello on the Netflix series, "is scared" and not sleeping, she tells Bari Weiss in the New York Times. That's because she's coming forward with accusations against "one of our national treasures," as Stone puts it to Leigh Sales in an interview for the ABC's 7.30 show. Stone says when she worked with Rush, now 67, on a stage production of The Diary of a Madman eight years ago, he used a mirror to watch her as she showered, sent her erotic texts, and danced naked in front of her in their shared dressing room, among other things.

Stone says she didn't speak up earlier (though she says she did once write Rush a letter that he never responded to) because she feared offending her "onetime hero," as well as being sued for defamation under Australia's strict libel laws. She feels some sympathy for Rush, noting that because the very famous are rarely told no, they may engage in behaviors that get incrementally worse. "We need compassion for that confusion," she says. In a statement, Rush says he regrets any "distress" Stone felt from the "spirited enthusiasm I generally bring to my work," adding that her memories "are incorrect and in some instances have been taken completely out of context." Stone told Sales she recognizes the possible repercussions, both financial and for her place in the acting world, for speaking out. "If that happens, I think it's worth it," she said. (Rush says he's lost his appetite over allegations.)

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