Disgraced director James Toback, who is facing allegations of sexual harassment and assault by over 300 women, is responding to his accusers by calling them “lying c***suckers and c**ts.”
Speaking to Rolling Stone over the weekend, the director broadly denied the accusations against him, which involves decades of allegations that he approaches young actresses by promising them stardom and manipulating them into being alone with him in a hotel room.
One of the women accusing Toback of sexual assault is actress Selma Blair, who told her story to Vanity Fair.
In her account, Blair accused Toback of making her strip naked, propositioned her for sex, and blocked her from leaving when she declined. Toback allegedly told her he needed to have “release” to get through the day, and as she was just hoping he wouldn’t rape her, she let him rub himself against her. She said he threatened to kill her if she ever told the story to anyone.
Actress Rachel McAdams also accused the director of sexually harassing her when she was 21 years old and just starting out in the movie business. McAdams, who starred in Sherlock Holmes and True Detective, alleged that the director admitted to masturbating in the bathroom while she was auditioning for a role in his movie, “Harvard Man.”
Similar stories were recounted by actresses Sari Kamin, who spoke of her ordeal on Medium, and 38 other women who spoke to the Los Angeles Times.
Toback denies the accusations, stating, “The idea that I would offer a part to anyone for any other reason than that he or she was gonna be the best of anyone I could find is so disgusting to me. And anyone who says it is a lying cocksucker or cunt or both.”
He also went on to deny specific allegations from women who spoke out against him, citing actress Sienna Miller as someone he’s worked with who people could cite as a reference for his good character.
“Anyone who says that, I just want to spit in his or her fucking face,” he said, and proceeded to deny having done anything to two women that the Rolling Stone writer named — Sari Kamin and Ambika Leigh.
“OK, that is a total lie. I never heard of the person before,” he said of Leigh. “And then who was the other one? First of all, that description wouldn’t fit anyone, but I never heard that name before in my life. And believe me, I would remember it, because it’s a very unusual name.”
He questioned Aron’s credentials and asked the writer if he considered himself a “serious person,” stating that women accusing him of sexual harassment “gang up” because “they hear each other.”
Ian Miles Cheong is a journalist and outspoken media critic. You can reach him through social media at @stillgray on Twitter and on Facebook.