Asia Argento says she was sexually assaulted by Harvey Weinstein in a hotel room in 1997 when she was 21 years old. He asked her for a massage, she told Ronan Farrow of the New Yorker last year, then performed oral sex on her against her will.
“I’ve been damaged,” she told Farrow. “Just talking to you about it, my whole body is shaking.”
Nearly a year after the New Yorker report, Argento is now the one accused. Jimmy Bennett, a 22-year-old actor and musician, says Argento sexually assaulted him when he was 17, according to documents obtained by the New York Times. Bennett threatened to sue Argento in November, the month after she spoke publicly about Weinstein — at that time, his lawyer wrote that Argento’s statements about Weinstein had stirred up painful memories for Bennett about his own experience. Argento ultimately agreed to pay Bennett $380,000, Kim Severson of the Times reported Sunday. She did not respond to the Times’s requests for comment.
Bennett’s allegations against Argento are especially disturbing since Argento has emerged as one of the most visible representatives of the #MeToo movement. But the actor’s report does not invalidate that movement, or Argento’s own experience. If Argento committed sexual assault, she cannot be an effective advocate for survivors — but that doesn’t mean she is not, herself, a survivor. As the #MeToo movement matures, it is uncovering uncomfortable truths about power and abuse, and among them is the fact that those who have been harmed sometimes go on to inflict that harm on others.
Bennett’s report has a lot in common with Argento’s
Bennett’s account of his experience with Argento has many similarities to those of others who have spoken out as part of #MeToo, including Argento herself. Bennett met Argento at age 7, when he played her son in The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things, which she directed, starred in, and co-wrote. In the documents obtained by the Times, Bennett, who did not speak to Severson directly, says Argento became a mentor and mother figure to him.
In 2013, when Bennett was 17 and Argento was 37, a family member drove him to meet Argento at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Marina Del Rey, California, according to the documents. Argento asked the family member to leave, gave Bennett alcohol, and performed oral sex on him, the documents say. Then she climbed on top of him and had intercourse with him. The age of consent in California at the time was 18.
Argento also asked Bennett to take photos, the documents say. The Times has reviewed three photos that appear to show the two in bed, one of which shows both of their faces.
After he left the hotel, Bennett began to feel “extremely confused, mortified, and disgusted,” the documents say. He also says the trauma of the incident hampered his ability to work, and his income dropped significantly as a result.
After receiving Bennett’s notice of intent to sue, Argento agreed to pay him $380,000. In a letter to Argento in April, her lawyer calls the money a way of “helping Mr. Bennett,” and says, “we hope nothing like this ever happens to you again.” The letter also states that Argento did not ask Bennett to sign a nondisclosure agreement because of her opposition to such agreements as part of her #MeToo advocacy.
“You are a powerful and inspiring creator and it is a miserable condition of life that you live among shitty individuals who’ve preyed on both your strengths and your weaknesses,” the letter adds.
Argento has been one of the most visible advocates for #MeToo
Bennett’s report is especially striking because Argento has emerged as one of the most high-profile advocates for survivors of assault and harassment since she spoke out about Weinstein last year. Argento was one of several women who spoke to the New York Times and the New Yorker in October, inspiring others to come forward about Weinstein and sparking the current #MeToo movement. Argento’s boyfriend, chef and memoirist Anthony Bourdain, joined in her advocacy. Bourdain died by suicide in June.
As Severson notes, Argento gave a speech at the Cannes Film Festival in May, which she called Weinstein’s “hunting ground.” She called out those in attendance who were guilty of sexual misconduct: “You know who you are, but, most importantly, we know who you are, and we are not going to allow you to get away with it any longer.”
Argento has faced backlash for her advocacy in her native Italy. One Italian newspaper editor said Argento should be grateful that Weinstein performed oral sex on her, and widespread criticism in Italian media led Argento to leave the country for Berlin.
But allegations against Argento don’t invalidate #MeToo
Argento is not the first advocate for harassment and assault survivors to be accused of misconduct or abuse. In May, Eric Schneiderman, then the attorney general of New York and one of Weinstein’s most powerful adversaries, resigned after four women reported that he abused them. Nor is she the first woman to be accused — just last week, harassment and assault allegations against feminist professor Avital Ronell became public in the New York Times.
Argento is also not the first person to report sexual misconduct and then be accused as a perpetrator. After Junot Díaz came forward publicly about being raped as a child, a woman reported that he had forcibly kissed her, and others said he had subjected them to misogynistic or abusive language.
Early on in the current iteration of the #MeToo movement, many reports coming to light were “open secrets” — stories that had circulated for years within Hollywood or other industries, finally becoming public as survivors felt emboldened to tell their stories. As the current #MeToo movement approaches its one-year anniversary, however, many of those secrets are no longer secret, and the revelations may become more surprising — at least to some. We may see more women accused. We may see more people who have been public advocates for survivors exposed as abusers in their private lives.
Some may be tempted to dismiss #MeToo on the basis of these reports, to say that if #MeToo advocates are accused of misconduct, they must be inherently untrustworthy, and that allegations against them tarnish the movement at large. But this is the wrong lesson to take from Bennett’s story. Nothing in his account invalidates Argento’s own experience. Disturbing as it may be, it is perfectly possible for survivors of sexual violence to commit sexual misconduct themselves.
Rather, allegations against Argento, Schneiderman, Díaz, Ronell, and others are a reminder that power imbalances can leave the less powerful person vulnerable to sexual harassment and assault, regardless of the genders or histories of the people involved. They are a reminder that those accused of sexual misconduct as part of #MeToo won’t always be the people we suspect, those about whom rumors have been swirling for years. They may be people we trusted and admired, who spoke out against sexual violence or advocated gender equality.
The work of #MeToo now is to recognize that perpetrators of sexual violence are not evil caricatures, impervious to harm and doing no good. Rather, they are humans who operate in a system that protects some as it leaves others at risk. Changing that system will require us to acknowledge that some people have both benefited from and been scarred by it, and that the former does not invalidate the latter.
The actor and #MeToo campaigner – who accused Harvey Weinstein of rape – reportedly paid $380,000 last year to former co-star Jimmy Bennett
Asia Argento accused of paying off actor who says she sexually assaulted him aged 17
One of the most prominent activists of the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment recently settled a complaint filed against her by a young actor and musician who said she sexually assaulted him when he was 17, the New York Times reported.
Asia Argento, 42, settled the notice of intent to sue filed by Jimmy Bennett, who is now 22, for $380,000 shortly after she said last October that movie mogul Harvey Weinstein raped her, the Times reported.
Argento and Bennett co-starred in a 2004 film The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things, in which Argento played Bennett’s mother.
Bennett says in the notice that he had sex with Argento in a California hotel in 2013. The age of consent in California is 18. The notice says the encounter traumatised Bennett, affected his mental health and damaged his career, the Times reported.
The notice claims that Bennett arrived at the Ritz-Carlton in Marina del Rey to meet Argento in her hotel room on 10 May 2013, with a family member. Argento asked to be alone with Bennett and the family member left. Bennett claims Argento gave him alcohol before proceeding to kiss him and perform oral sex before having intercourse with him.
The documents say that Argento then asked to take a number of photos with him. Photos of Argento and Bennett semi-clothed in bed, as well as an Instagram post of their faces taken on that day, were included in the notice of intent to sue. Three people familiar with the case said the documents were authentic, the Times reported.
Argento became one of the most well-known activists of the #MeToo movement after she told the New Yorker magazine that Weinstein raped her at the Cannes film festival in 1997 when she was 21. Argento told the magazine that she continued to have a relationship with Weinstein because she was afraid of angering him.
Weinstein has been indicted on sex crime accusations involving three women, but not including Argento. He denies all charges of non-consensual sex.
Since the Weinstein allegations became public, Argento has spoken out about sexual harassment both in Hollywood and her home country of Italy and given high-profile talks on the subject at Harvard University and at the Cannes film festival.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Jimmy Bennett and Asia Argento in 2004 film The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things
The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things was directed by Argento and based on the novel by JT LeRoy. In the film, she plays a drug-taking prostitute struggling to care for her young son, played by Bennett, who is raped by one of her boyfriends. Her character persuades her son to cross-dress and act as an increasingly seductive “little sister”.
Writing on Twitter in the wake of the New York Times report, Rose McGowan – who has also accused Weinstein of assault – wrote that her “heart is broken”.
rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) I got to know Asia Argento ten months ago. Our commonality is the shared pain of being assaulted by Harvey Weinstein. My heart is broken. I will continue my work on behalf of victims everywhere.
The Guardian has reached out to Argento for comment, but at the time of publication had not received a response. Through a representative, Bennett declined an interview with the New York Times.
Jimmy Bennett, an actor and musician, claims that Asia Argento sexually assaulted him in a California hotel room months before his 17th birthday. According to the New York Times, Bennett, now 22, struck a deal with Argento where she agreed to pay him $380K over the course of a year and a half, starting with an initial payment of $200,000 that was made this past April.
According to a notice sent to lawyer Richard Hofstetter, the fallout from the “sexual battery” was so traumatic for Bennett that it has reportedly hindered his career and threatened his mental health.
Here’s what you need to know about Jimmy Bennett:
1. He Played Argento’s Son In the Film ‘The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things’
Bennett was 7 when he was cast in the 2004 drama The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things. The film, which Argento both directed and starred in, depicts the grim relationship between a drug-addled prostitute and her young son. Argento’s character dresses her son (played by Bennett) as a girl to lure men, and the boy is ultimately raped in the film’s final act.
According to the New York Times, Argento, 42, developed a close relationship with Bennett on the set, serving as both a mentor and a mother figure. Gordon K. Sattro, Bennett’s lawyer, wrote that “Jimmy’s impression of this situation was that a mother-son relationship had blossomed from their experience on set together.”
In addition to The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things, Bennett has appeared in the 2003 comedy Daddy Day Care opposite Eddie Murphy, the 2005 thriller Hostage opposite Bruce Willis, and the 2009 reboot of Star Trek, where he played a young version of James T. Kirk.
2. The Alleged Assault Took Place at a Ritz-Carlton Hotel In 2013
According to the court documents, Bennett made plans to meet up with Argento at a Ritz-Carlton in Marina Del Rey on May 9, 2013. The young actor has an eye condition that prevents him from driving, so he was driven to the hotel with a family member.
Bennett’s account says that Argento asked the family member to leave so she could be alone with him. She gave him alcohol to drink and showed him a series of notes she had written to him on the hotel stationery. Argento then kissed Bennett, pushed him back on to the bed and removed his pants before performing oral sex. Bennett then states that she climbed on top of him and the two of them had intercourse. Afterwards, Argento reportedly asked him to take photos of her.
The two then had lunch and Bennett headed back home to his parents in Orange County. The actor said that he began to feel “extremely confused, mortified, and disgusted” on the drive home. Later that day, Argento posted a photo of them on Instagram with the caption, “Happiest day of my life reunion with @jimmymbennett xox.” She added that “jimmy is going to be in my next movie and that is a fact, dig that jack.”
3. He & Argento Were Friendly With One Another on Twitter
Leading up to the alleged assault, Bennett and Argento were friendly with one another on social media. Argento often tweeted at Bennett with compliments, referring to the actor as her “son,” and talking about how excited she is to see him again. This was most notable during the month of August 2012.
“@JimmyBennett not sure when I’ll be back but hopefully next time I’ll get to see you,” she tweeted on the 11th. “Even though I might just start crying with happiness.”
Argento tweeted at Bennett again on August 15 with the message: “@JimmyBennett I was just so proud of you and after THIDAAT I didn’t want to let you go on another set without me!” She added a second tweet that read: “Sucks I left LA! I would have followed you everywhere. I wish I hadn’t missed any of your birthdays all these years.”
Argento also posted a message to him on Instagram the day of the alleged assault. “Waiting for my long lost son my love @jimmymbennett in trepidation,” she wrote. “#marinadelrey smoking cigarettes like there was no next week.”
Bennett responded to the post by writing: “I’m almost there! :)” The post
4. He Attributes His Career Decline to His Relationship With Argento
The New York Times reports that Bennett had made more than $2.7 million in the five years before his 2013 meeting with Argento, but that his income has gone down drastically in the five years since. He now makes an estimated $60K a year. Bennett attributes his career decline to the emotional trauma that was inflicted upon him by Argento.
Bennett initially asked Argento for $3.5 million in damages, but they ultimately agreed upon $380K. A letter from Argento’s lawyer Carrie Goldberg to Argento said that the money was to help Bennett with his career. “We hope nothing like this ever happens to you again,” Goldberg wrote. “You are a powerful and inspiring creator and it is a miserable condition of life that you live among sh**ty individuals who’ve preyed on both your strengths and your weaknesses.”
In addition to these claims, Bennett’s parents have reportedly cheated him out of at least $1.5 million. The actor says that his mother and father started a trust that they would periodically deposit his earnings into, and that they eventually barred him from their house, cutting him off from his personal belongings. He filed a lawsuit against his parents in Orange County Superior Court in October 2014. The case was settled by late December, but the terms were not disclosed.
According to Article Bio, Bennett currently has an estimated net worth of $2 million.
Bennett has also pursued a career as a musician. He released his debut single “Over Again” in 2011, and has since collaborated with artists like Sean Chambers (“Handyman”), John Ginty (“Old Shoes”), and the Bruce Katz Band (“Wild About You Baby”). The only two posts on his Instagram account are clips of him performing on his acoustic guitar. Watch them here.
5. He Came Forward Because He Felt That Argento’s Support of the #MeToo Movement Was Hypocritical
Bennett’s lawyer stated that the reason he chose to come forward with his experience is because “seeing Ms. Argento present herself as a victim of sexual assault was too much to bear.” Sattro wrote that: “His feelings about that day were brought to the forefront recently when Ms. Argento took the spotlight as one of the many victims of Harvey Weinstein.”
While its unclear what the current relationship is between Bennett and Argento, the two have indirectly corresponded via social media. On June 8, 2013, Bennett sent Argento a Twitter message that read: “Miss you momma!!!!” with a photograph of an engraved bracelet she had given as a gift. His Twitter account has since been shut down. On July 17, 2018, Argento liked a photo that Bennett had posted of himself on Instagram (the account has since removed much of its content).
Carrie Goldberg, Argento’s lawyer, has not made an official comment. Bennett’s lawyer, released a statement that read: “In the coming days, Jimmy will continue doing what he has been doing over the past months and years, focusing on his music.”
