Eliza Dushku Accuses ‘True Lies’ Stunt Coordinator of Molestation
In a post on Facebook over the weekend, actress Eliza Dushku accused a Hollywood stunt coordinator of molesting her when she was 12 while working on 'True Lies'.
In the opening line of her post on Saturday, Dushku directly names Joel Kramer, a major Hollywood stunt coordinator, as her molester,
As Dushku's parents were unavailable to be with her on set during filming, she was assigned an on-set guardian, Sue Booth-Forbes. Booth-Forbes confirmed to CNN that she had reported the incident to a person of authority,
I was met with blank stares and had the sense that I wasn't telling that person anything they didn't already know. I tried to keep Joel away from her as did others working on the set, but because of all the stunts she had to do, he was constantly involved with her and her body.
Kramer has denied the accusations, which include that he was neglegent on set after Dushku's guardian reported him, resulting in Dushku breaking her ribs during a stunt. In an email to CNN, Kramer said,
While filming 'True Lies' I treated Ms. Dushku with respect and was protective of her safety and welfare as is appropriate to my position as a stunt coordinator.
A film crew is like a family, and Eliza was always treated and protected as a member of the family.
I do not understand what motivated Ms. Dushku to make this statement and I hope that she can find it in her conscious to correct this injustice and return my good name to me. I understand the culture in Hollywood has been historically unfair to women and I applaud and support women who are standing up and pointing out these injustices. It is unfortunate, however that this new culture allows a person to destroy the life and livelihood of a person with false accusations.
Since Dushku made her accusation, Worldwide Production Agency, a management company for stunt performers and actors, dropped Kramer as a client, and Deadline reports that two other women have come forward accusing Kramer of sexual misconduct.
Dushku's 'True Lies' co-star, Jaime Lee Curtis, wrote an essay on Huffington Post, confirming that Dushku had confided in her years ago about the incident,
I was shocked and saddened then and still am today.
The truth will set us all free. Hopefully that freedom will bring a new ability to call out abuse and, when that abuse occurs, to have swift and consistent action, so that no one again will have to wait 25 years for their truth to be heard.