Mexican Actress Karla Souza Reveals She Was Raped By A Director Early In Her Career
The #MeToo movement has helped Mexican actress Karla Souza open up about her own experience with sexual misconduct in the entertainment industry. On Tuesday, the How To Get Away With Murder star sat down with CNN en Español, where she revealed she was raped by a director at the dawn of her career in Mexico.
“He knocked at my door saying he wanted to go over some scenes and I thought, ‘It’s 2 a.m. It’s not appropriate, and it’s something that shouldn’t be happening,’” Souza, 30, remembered.
The actress noted that, despite several attempts from the director, who she did not name, she refused to open the door. In retaliation, the next time she was on set, the director allegedly “humiliated me in front of the others on the set” and “decided not to shoot my scene.”
For a month, Souza said, the the director abused his power. He had such a “psychological control” over her that she eventually felt like she had no choice but to yield to his advances.
“I ended up giving in to him. [I let him] kiss me, to touch me in ways I did not want him to touch me and in one of those instances, he attacked me violently and yes, he raped me,” she said, beginning to cry.
Since the interview, Televisa, the largest TV network in Mexico, conducted an investigation and severed ties with independent producer Gustavo Loza.
“Televisa will not tolerate conduct like that described today,” the company wrote in a statement.
Loza, who produced Los Heroes del Norte, a series Souza appeared on in 2010, has denied that Souza’s accusation was directed at him, and has asked her to identify the producer involved to clear his name.
“I respectfully ask her to clear this situation up in the news media, by mentioning the name or names of her attackers and file charges against them, so that these regrettable and lamentable acts she suffered will not go unpunished,” he said in a statement.
Souza’s allegation is the biggest #MeToo claim to surface in the Mexican entertainment industry.
Read: For Rosario Dawson, The #MeToo Movement’s Fight Against Sexual Harassment Is Personal
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