Lupita Nyong’o is the latest actor to allege sexual harassment at the hands of Harvey Weinstein. Lupita’s statements come after industry figures like Kate Beckinsale, Gwyneth Paltrow, Rose McGowan, Angelina Jolie, and Cara Delevingne shared claims of their harrowing experiences with the producer.
Yesterday Lupita penned an op-ed in The New York Times detailing her encounters with Weinstein beginning with their 2011 meeting at an awards show. At the time, Lupita was a student actor, and Weinstein invited her to his home under the alleged pretence of showing the her a film. Before arriving, the pair a had lunch during which Weinstein coerced Lupita into drinking vodka, despite her strong refusals.
When they arrived at his home for the film screening, she was met by his young children and domestic staff. After 15 minutes, Weinstein suggested they have a private screening. “Harvey led me into a bedroom — his bedroom — and announced that he wanted to give me a massage,” Lupita wrote. “I thought he was joking at first. He was not. For the first time since I met him, I felt unsafe. I panicked a little and thought quickly to offer to give him one instead: It would allow me to be in control physically, to know exactly where his hands were at all times.”
Lupita says that Weinstein said he wanted to take off his pants, which made her “extremely uncomfortable.” “I headed for the door,” the actor wrote, “saying that I was not at all comfortable with that. I opened the door and stood by the frame. He put his shirt on and again mentioned how stubborn I was. I agreed with an easy laugh, trying to get myself out of the situation safely.”
After their first encounter, Lupita details a second invitation to visit Weinstein’s private hotel room in New York. “I told him I preferred to eat in the restaurant,” she wrote, “he told me not to be so naive. If I wanted to be an actress, then I had to be willing to do this sort of thing.”
Lupita wrote her “shelved” experience with Harvey aided the “conspiracy of silence that has allowed this predator to prowl for so many years.” She continued, “I had felt very much alone when these things happened, and I had blamed myself for a lot of it, quite like many of the other women who have shared their stories.”
Editor’s note: This article was updated to clarify that this is an allegation.