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PEOPLE & ARTS Friday 24 august 2018
Actor says he feared speaking out about Argento assault

By ANDREW DALTON ual acts. Bennett said in his
Associated Press statement that Argento's
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A emergence as a Wein-
young actor who alleged stein accuser brought back
in legal documents that his own trauma, and the
Italian actress and filmmak- movement as a whole has
er Asia Argento sexually as- prompted him to address
saulted him when he was the experience.
17 said Wednesday that his "Many brave women and
trauma resurfaced when men have spoken out
Argento came out as a vic- about their own experi-
tim of sexual assault herself ences during the #MeToo
last year. movement, and I appreci-
"I did not initially speak out ate the bravery that it took
about my story because for each and every one of
I chose to handle it in pri- them to take a stand," Ben-
vate with the person who nett's statement said.
wronged me," Bennett, Actress Ashley Judd, an-
now 22, said in a statement other Weinstein accuser,
released through Attorney spoke out Wednesday
Gordon K. Sattro. In this May 17, 2009 file photo, Italian actress Asia Argento arrives on the red carpet for screening against anyone who would
The comments were his first of "Vengeance" during the 62nd International film festival in Cannes, France. use the Argento allegations
made publicly since a Sun- Associated Press to undermine the #MeToo
day New York Times story movement.
saying Argento reached a understand the event that "Anthony personally under- sheriff's department said it is "We hold any and every
$380,000 legal settlement took place from the eyes of took to help Bennett eco- looking into the allegations abuser accountable, re-
with him last year over an a teenage boy." nomically, upon the condi- and seeking to talk to Ben- gardless of their gender,
alleged sexual assault in His comments come a tion that we would no lon- nett. No police report was race, socio-economic sta-
a California hotel room in day after the 42-year-old ger suffer any further intru- filed at the time, the de- tus, public visibility or popu-
2013. Argento denied having sions in our life," Argento's partment said. The age of larity," Judd said on Twitter.
"I have not made a public a sexual relationship with statement said. consent in California is 18. "Sexual violence is wrong,
statement in the past days him. She said in a state- Earlier Wednesday, TMZ Argento became one of full stop."
and hours because I was ment Tuesday that she was published a photo that the leading figures of the Also Wednesday, Argento
ashamed and afraid to be linked "in friendship only" to showed Argento and Ben- #MeToo movement after backed out of curating a
part of the public narra- Bennett, who played her nett lying together, their she told the New Yorker Dutch music festival.
tive. I was underage when son in a film in 2004. heads touching as they lay magazine last year that Organizers of the "Le Guess
the event took place, and She said the $380,000 pay- on a pillow, their shirts ap- Weinstein raped her at the Who?" festival said in a
I tried to seek justice in a ment, made in response to parently off. The celebrity Cannes Film Festival in 1997 statement that "due to the
way that made sense to a notice of intent to sue for website did not say how when she was 21. Weinstein volatile nature of the ac-
me at the time." $3.5 million in damages that it obtained the photo. A has been indicted on sex cusations surrounding Ms.
Bennett said he believed Bennett had filed, was un- previous picture on TMZ crime accusations involv- Argento, she has chosen to
there was a stigma to be- dertaken by her boyfriend showed the pair embrac- ing three women, but not withdraw from her curator-
ing sexually assaulted as a Anthony Bourdain, the ce- ing but sitting up and fully including Argento. He has ship of this year's edition,
male, and that he "didn't lebrity chef who killed him- clothed. denied having engaged while these issues remain
think that people would self in France in June. The Los Angeles County in any nonconsensual sex- open."q

Singapore: 'Crazy Rich Asians' author skipped service duty

Associated Press statement that Kwan was him, and on the fact he did
SINGAPORE (AP) — Singa- wanted for "defaulting on not make an appearance
pore's government says his NS obligations" for fail- there. Kwan is descended
the author of the book that ing to register as required from a wealthy Singapor-
inspired the hit film "Crazy in 1990, and for staying ean family.
Rich Asians" failed to reg- abroad without a valid exit Much of "Crazy Rich Asians,"
ister for national service as permit. It said authorities is set in Singapore. The story
required. rejected his application in follows Chinese-American
According to his bio, writer 1994 to renounce his Singa- Rachel Chu as she trav-
Kevin Kwan was born in porean citizenship without els with her boyfriend Nick
Singapore and left when serving the mandatory na- Young to Singapore to
he was 11, living in the U.S. tional service. meet his family and discov-
since then. "Mr. Kwan has committed ers they are ultra-wealthy.
There was no immediate offences under the Enlist- The $30 million Warner Bros.
response Wednesday from ment Act, and is liable to a In this Friday, Aug. 25, 2017, photo, Singaporean novelist Kevin film has grossed more than
his publisher to a request for fine of up to $10,000 and/ Kwan talks during an interview in Hong Kong. $35 million since its Aug. 15
comment. Male Singapor- or imprisonment of up to Associated Press world debut in Los Angeles
ean citizens are required 3 years upon conviction," and came out tops with its
to spend two years, in most said the statement from release in U.S. theaters over
cases, in a uniformed ser- Singapore's Ministry of De- gapore for Tuesday night's book, based on comments the weekend. It is open-
vice as young adults. fense. premiere of the hit roman- from various cast members ing in many Asian cities this
The government said in a Kwan did not travel to Sin- tic comedy based on his who said they were missing week.q