Anna Faris Reveals She Was Sexually Harassed on a Movie Set by Male Director

Anna Faris is opening up about her personal experience with sexual harassment in Hollywood.

While being joined by UnREAL’s Arielle Kebbel, the 40-year-old actress detailed her story on her Unqualified podcast.

“I was doing a scene where I was on a ladder and I was supposed to be taking books off a shelf and he slapped my ass in front of the crew so hard,” she said. “And all I could do was giggle.”

Up Next: Anna Faris Reportedly Dating Cinematographer From Her Upcoming Film

The Mom star, who recently called it quits with her husband Chris Pratt, said that she then noticed that the crew members were watching her reaction to the incident.

“I remember looking around I remember seeing crew members being like, ‘Wait, what are you going to do about that? That seemed weird.’ And that’s how I dismissed it,” she said.

“I was like, ‘Well, this isn’t a thing. Like, it’s not that big of a deal. Buck up, Faris. Like, just giggle.’ But it made me feel small. He wouldn’t have done that to the lead male,” she continued. “We’re conditioned to giggle.”

More: Anna Faris Praises Chris Pratt, Says They Still Love Each Other

The mother of one explained that she felt like laughing off the situation was the only way to handle it without feeling repercussions.

“But also, if we were to do anything else, we’d be labeled a b–h or difficult,” Faris said. “That would be the best of circumstances. I guess what I do is I laugh. It puts everyone at ease. That’s the defense mode you go into.”

Faris also explained how the director made her feel inferior by his reasoning for casting her in the role.

“I remember that same director telling my agent, who told me, that I had great legs and that was one of the reasons I got hired,” she said.

“And listen, that’s a f–ing great compliment. I like my legs. But that sort of informed my whole experience with that whole project. I don’t think the male lead got hired because he had great legs. Therefore, I felt like I’m hired because of these elements – not because of [talent].”

Faris is one of a number of Hollywood stars that have come forward with stories of sexual harassment or assault in recent weeks. Most recently, more than 30 women accused Director James Toback of sexual harassment. Learn more here.