James Cameron Claims He Had No Idea of Eliza Dushku’s Abuse on ‘True Lies’ Set

True Lies director James Cameron said if he knew about Eliza Dushku‘s alleged sexual molestation by his stunt coordinator, “there would have been no mercy.”

During an appearance at the Television Critics Association press tour on Saturday, Cameron said he “hadn’t given a lot of thought” to the situation, which only came to light hours before. However, he praised Dushku as “very brave” for speaking out, reports The Wrap.

Cameron said that “director’s are generally pretty oblivious” to situations like these, but if he knew about it, “there would have been no mercy.”

“It’s just heartbreaking that it happened to her,” Cameron told reporters. “I know the other party, and not well, he hasn’t worked for me since then. But uh, you know, I mean the fact that this was happening under our noses and we didn’t know about it, I think it’s important going forward for all industries, including Hollywood, to create a safe avenue for people to speak up.”

On Saturday morning, Dushku posted a lengthy Facebook post, accusing stunt coordinator Joel Kramer of sexually assaulting her in a Miami hotel room when she was 12 years old.

“I remember how he laid me down on the bed, wrapped me with his gigantic writhing body, and rubbed all over me. He spoke these words: ‘You’re not going to sleep on me now sweetie, stop pretending you’re sleeping,’ as he rubbed harder and faster against my catatonic body,” Dushku wrote. “When he was ‘finished’, he suggested, ‘I think we should be careful…,’ [about telling anyone] he meant. I was 12, he was 36.”

Kramer, who also worked on Cameron’s Terminator 2: Judgement Day, denied the allegations in interviews with The Hollywood Reporter and The Wrap.

“I’m absolutely floored,” Kramer told The Wrap. “I don’t know what to say. I never took her to my hotel room. I never took off her clothes.”

Comedian Tom Arnold, who co-starred in True Lies with Dushku, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis, tweeted that he “believes” Dushku.

“[Eliza Dushku] was a wonderful child and is an amazing woman,” Arnold tweeted. “I [love] her. This makes me very angry [and] breaks my heart but I AM SO PROUD OF HER.”

Photo credit: Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for AMC