‘How to Get Away with Murder’ Star Karla Souza Alleges She Was Raped By a Director in Mexico

How to Get Away With Murder star Karla Souza has alleged that she was raped by a director in Mexico early in her career, sharing her story in an interview with CNN en Espanol on Tuesday.

The actress, who was born in Mexico City, said that she was assaulted by the unnamed director while filming in Mexico. Souza said that during a shoot, she and the director were staying at one hotel, while the rest of the cast stayed in a different location.

The 32-year-old alleged that the director would arrive at her room at 2 a.m. to go over scenes, which she said was “something that shouldn’t be happening.”

Souza added that after she refused to open her door one night, the director took it out on her during filming the next day, calling his behavior a “total abuse of power.”

“The next day he decided not to shoot my scene and then he suddenly started to humiliate me in front of the others on the set,” she recalled, via The Hollywood Reporter. “This was the psychological control that he held over me.”

The actress said that after a month of enduring the director’s behavior, she felt she had no choice but to “give in.”

“I ended up giving in to him [to 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, wiping away tears.

Souza said she did not speak up at the time as she did not want to jeopardize her career.

The ABC star’s story comes as the #MeToo movement continues to spread through Hollywood, with both women and men sharing their stories of sexual harassment and assault in the industry. The movement began after a number of accusations were leveled against producer Harvey Weinstein in October.

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