Arnold Schwarzenegger says “you bet your ass” he would’ve taken action if he had known about the alleged molestation of his “True Lies” co-star, Eliza Dushku.
Dushku, who appeared in the 1994 action flick when she was 12 years old, has accused the film’s stunt coordinator, Joel Kramer, of sexually assaulting her in a hotel room.
“Ever since, I have struggled with how and when to disclose this, if ever,” Dushku wrote in a Saturday Facebook post.
Kramer denied the accusations, calling Dushku’s words “atrocious lies” in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
On Monday, Schwarzenegger, the movie’s star and California’s former Republican governor, weighed in, responding to a tweet from fellow “True Lies” actor Tom Arnold:
Tom, you bet your ass all of us would have done something. I’m shocked and saddened for Eliza but I am also proud of her - beyond being a great talent and an amazing woman, she is so courageous. https://t.co/EJJbkdior2
— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) January 16, 2018
Jamie Lee Curtis, who played Dushku’s mother in the James Cameron-directed film, penned a Sunday editorial in the HuffPost that offered a message of support to the now-37-year-old actress.
“We have all started to awaken to the fact that the terrible abuses now commonplace in daily news reports have been going on for a very long time,” Curtis, 59, wrote.
“I hope today that what can come from all of these exposures are new guidelines and safe spaces for people ― regardless of age, gender, race or job ― to share their concerns and truths and that all abusers will be held accountable,” said Curtis.
Last month, the nonprofit watchdog group Common Cause reportedly rescinded a planned award for Schwarzenegger for his work on gerrymandering reform after 2003 allegations of sexual harassment by the then-gubernatorial candidate resurfaced. The Los Angeles Times reported at the time that the allegations from six women occurred over three decades. A campaign spokesman for Schwarznegger said the former bodybuilder had “not engaged in improper conduct toward women,” the Times wrote.
