Naomie Harris Says 'Huge Star' Groped Her During Audition
No Time to Die star Naomie Harris was groped during an audition, the Oscar nominee revealed in a new interview this week. Harris said a "huge star" put his hand up her skirt while she was trying out for a film, calling it her "only #MeToo incident." She did not reveal the name of the actor.
"What was so shocking about it was the casting director was there and the director, and of course no one said anything because he was — he is — such a huge star," Harris told The Mail on Sunday's You Magazine. She considered herself "very lucky" that this was the only sexual assault she experienced during an audition. Harris, 45, went on to praise the #MeToo movement, which went viral in 2017 after allegations of sexual harassment by movie producer Harvey Weinstein were reported.
"Now things have definitely changed," Harris said. "I was on a project where there was a #MeToo incident and there was no hesitation... (the perpetrator) was immediately removed." Harris declined to say when these incidents to place or who the actors involved were.
Elsewhere in the interview, Harris spoke about her feelings on guns in the wake of the tragic Rust accident involving Alec Baldwin that led to the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. After the accident in October, Harris was handling guns while filming Showtime's new miniseries based on The Man Who Fell to Earth. She called it "terrifying," adding, "I hate guns, but a lot of my roles require me to handle one. Even before this, I refused to do a stunt that involved firing a blank because even blanks can kill. I wouldn't fire it near anybody."
Harris also discussed her battle with scoliosis. She was diagnosed at 11 years old and had surgery at 15. She was hospitalized for a month and had to "learn to walk again" after the surgery. The experience taught her not to take anything for granted. "Going through something so traumatic, I learned that my health is a very fragile gift that I have to constantly nurture," Harris told You. "So at that young age, I made the decision to do everything I possibly could to maintain it. Hence I never drank, smoked, or did drugs because I wouldn't put anything toxic in my body."
Harris played Eve Moneypenny in the Daniel Craig-starring James Bond movies Skyfall, Spectre, and No Time To Die. She also starred as Shriek in Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Her next film, Swan Song, reunited her with Moonlight star Mahershala Ali and will be released on Apple TV+ on Dec. 17. Harris was nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Moonlight.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.