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A picture is worth a thousand words, but a recent photo featuring Roman Polanski and his 1977 rape victim is worth even more.
Samantha Geimer, the disgraced director of ‘Chinatown’ and ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ and accused of raping Polanski in Los Angeles when he was 13, recently smiled and posed for a photo together. reaffirm her longstanding stance In a lingering legal saga that has plagued both for over 40 years.
Polanski’s wife Emmanuelle Seigner reposted photos of the director and Geimer on Saturday Instagram Following recent meetings and interviews documented by a French publication Le Point this month. The women described themselves as a kind of comrade closely tied to Polanski, and considered it important to speak in “complete solidarity.”
“Thank you, Samantha… Photo credit David Geimer,” Seigner wrote on Saturday, posting a photo of Samantha Geimer and Polanski. It was photographed by her husband, David Geimer.
Polanski, 89, pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting 43-year-old Geimer (née Samantha Gary) in the 1970s.following her allegations that he drugged and assaulted her in her home actor jack nicholsonHe is still on probation and fled before the sentence was handed down.
“Let’s be clear, what happened to Polanski wasn’t a big deal to me,” Geimer told Seigner in a translated version of the interview obtained by The Times on Monday.I was fine, I’m still fine The fact that we made this [a big deal] It weighs heavily. It’s a terrible burden to have to repeat over and over again that it wasn’t a big deal.”
Geimer told Seigner that he was “not a 13-year-old kid” and that what happened between her and Polanski wasn’t all that shocking.
“At the time, many teenage girls would have dreamed of going to Jack Nicholson’s house and having sex with the first man they got.
the filmmaker Arrested in Switzerland in 2009 But ultimately the Swiss courts refused the US extradition request and released him. Afterwards, Seigner said, “Things have changed completely.”Polanski hasn’t returned to the US yet
“From there, everyone started talking about ‘rape, rape, rape,'” Seigner said. “I didn’t find that word romantic because I know him very well. I know he can’t be violent. Yes, then the situation is terrifying.” I was ashamed and didn’t want to find myself faced with people who thought I could live with a man like this.
In response, Geimer said the goal was to “shame” and “humiliate” Seigner. ” he said.
“Everyone should know by now that Roman has finished his sentence. It’s been a long time if I want to give my opinion.”
Even at the height of the #MeToo movement, which she described as “really, really retrograde,” Geimer sued Los Angeles authorities. end a protracted affair For both in 2017. In recent years, she has also asked for additional testimony when the case goes public.
Last summer, unsealed court records revealed that a Los Angeles County judge intended to sentence Polanski to 90 days in prison for sexually abusing a gamer. increased the likelihood of ending his status as a fugitive.
The mother of three grown sons also opened up about the incident in her 2013 memoir, The Girl: A Life in the Shadow of Roman Polanski. She details her version of the incident alleged in the book, describing what she feels is the “victim industry,” the sensationalization of her case for her own benefit. are hurt by lawyers, judges, and journalists who
“I can’t make what happened to me worse, so I’ll make it more interesting,” Geimer said. Times after that. “You feel bad and you are set up to be a victim so other people can use you as they please.”
She repeated that view in Seigner.
“I’m patient, but the truth is people don’t want to hear the truth if it doesn’t serve their purpose.
Geimer said he was less optimistic about the shift in media perspective.
“I’ve been trying to get people to listen to me for a long time, and things seem to be going from bad to worse,” she said. Now she has two. we are stronger. ”
Polanski regularly directs films that continue to receive critical acclaim, but has been criticized by at least six women over the years. sexually abused him, most of them say the abuse happened when they were minors. None of these allegations resulted in criminal charges, and he, through his attorney, denied any wrongdoing in these cases.
The five-Oscar-nominated filmmaker was expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and stripped of his Best Director award for “The Pianist” in 2018. Film mogul Harvey Weinstein convicted twiceAcademy’s recent Cracking down on member behavior.
This story originally appeared los angeles times.
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