Four more men have accused firedBohemian RhapsodydirectorBryan Singerof sexual misconduct and assault while they were underage.
The article was published in the wake ofBohemian Rhapsodybeing nominated for multiple Oscars including Best Picture and crossing over $800 million at the worldwide box office.
Singer’s lawyer Andrew Brettler toldThe Atlanticthat the director categorically denies ever having sex with, or a preference for, underage men. The lawyer also noted that Singer has never been arrested for or charged with any crime.
Victor Valdovinos, who says he worked as an extra in Singer’s 1997 filmApt Pupil, claims the director “grabbed my genitals and started masturbating it” when he was 13 and they were filming a locker room scene. Singer had reportedly been shooting the movie at Valdovinos’ school. He claims Singer asked him to appear in the film after they first met in the school bathroom.
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Three other men, all under pseudonyms, allege Singer seduced them during parties at his Beverly Hills mansion in the late ’90s — two when they were 17, and one when he was 15.
A fifth man quoted in the story, Cesar Sanchez-Guzman,previously filed a lawsuit against Singer in 2017after alleging the director raped him on a yacht in 2003 when he was 17. In a statement through his lawyers, Singer previously said he “categorically denies these allegations and will vehemently defend this lawsuit to the very end.”
The writers ofThe Atlanticarticle, Maximillian Potter and Alex French, responded in a statement released on Twitter, saying, “We are most grateful that the alleged victims now have a chance to be heard and we hope the substance of their allegations remains the focus.”
Singer previously faced multiple accusations of sexual misconduct. In 2014, aspiring model and actor Michael Eganfiled a civil suit against the director, claiming he forced him into sex during parties in California and Hawaii in the late 1990s.
The director’s attorney at the time, Martin Singer (no relation to the director), called the lawsuit “absurd and defamatory.” Singer provided evidence that he was not in Hawaii at the time and the suit was ultimately dropped.
Later in 2014,a second accuser filed a sexual abuse lawsuitagainst Singer. When he was 17, the man claimed in the lawsuit, Singer fondled him and tried to force him to have sex. Singer vehemently denied the allegations.
A Los Angeles court accepted Singer’s motion to dismisson the grounds that there was no legal basis for the suit, and that it was improperly brought.
Singer was fired fromBohemian Rhapsodyin 2017 near the end of filming for allegedly being “unexpectedly unavailable” for several days on set. He is still credited as director and thanked the Golden Globes earlier this month for the best motion picture, drama award the movie won.
source: people.com
