Director Alexander Payne has denied sexual assault allegations brought against him by actress Rose McGowan.
After McGowan tweeted out her allegations in August, Payne has written a denial in a guest column published Friday by Deadline. McGowan accused Payne of sexually assaulting her when she was 15 years old.
Alexander Payne Denies Rose McGowan Underage Allegation: Guest Column https://t.co/ozdZuEL2tz pic.twitter.com/ph9QNmHzqZ
— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) September 4, 2020
The incident as told by McGowan would have allegedly occurred in 1988, making Payne 27 at the time. Payne claimed he was a film student during the time of the alleged sexual assault.
“I was a full-time film student at UCLA from 1984 until 1990, and I know that our paths never crossed,” Payne wrote in his column.
“She claims that I showed her a ‘soft-core porn movie’ I had directed for Showtime ‘under a different name,'” the director continued. “This would have been impossible, since I had never directed anything professionally, lurid or otherwise. I have also never worked for Showtime or directed under any name other than my own.” (RELATED: Rose McGowan Accuses Hollywood Director Alexander Payne Of Sexual Assault)
Payne did admit to going on “a couple of dates” with McGowan and claimed the two were “on friendly terms for years.”
“Although she did not get the part, she left a note for me at the casting desk asking that I call her,” Payne admitted. “I had no reason to question how old she was, since the role she read for required an actor who was of age. We later went out on a couple of dates and remained on friendly terms for years.”
McGowan’s full accusation on Twitter read: “Alexander Payne. You sat me down & played a soft-core porn movie you directed for Showtime under a different name. I still remember your apartment in Silverlake. You are very well-endowed. You left me on a street corner afterwards. I was 15.”
McGowan has been vocal about her experiences with sexual misconduct and assault while working in the entertainment industry, per previous reporting. McGowan has also publicly spoken about her alleged encounters with now-convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein.