Actress Mira Sorvino, who has been a vocal voices in the #MeToo movement, says she is a survivor of rape. Sorvino made the revelation during a press conference on Wednesday, alongside New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, in an effort to encourage the state legislature to eliminate New York’s statute of limitations on rape in the 2nd and 3rd degrees and pass additional sexual harassment protections before the end of the legislative session next week.
Sorvino said tearfully: “This whole #MeToo [movement] this has been wonderful, but it has been highly traumatizing for me on a personal level just because I have had to revisit my past and my demons in a way that I really had not fully explored… I had not really dealt with past traumas. I had not really sought out the help I needed, so this past year and a half has been a very interesting and hard and wonderful time for me. But I can stand here before you and say not only was I a sexual harassment and battery victim at the hands of Mr. Weinstein, but I’m also a sexual assault victim and I’m also a survivor of date rape.”
Sorvino is one of more than 80 women who have accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual misconduct. She has said Weinstein made unwanted sexual advances towards her when they worked on a project together in 1995. “Lord of the Rings” director Peter Jackson claimed that Weinstein told him not to cast Sorvino in the franchise, allegedly calling her a “nightmare.” A Weinstein representative has denied that he attempted to damage her career.
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