'OITNB' star Yael Stone says Geoffrey Rush spied on her in the shower and danced naked in front of her

'OITNB' star Yael Stone says Geoffrey Rush spied on her in the shower and danced naked in front of her

As the tide of #metoo stories continues to ebb and flow, 'Orange Is The New Black' star Yael Stone has detailed her own harrowing experience with Oscar-winning actor Geoffrey Rush. On Monday, the Australian actress came forward with allegations against Rush, merely a year after he was accused by another actress of inappropriately touching her while working on a theater production.

Stone, in an interview with the New York Times on Monday, said that the alleged incident happened in 2010 and 2011 when she and Rush were co-stars in the theater production 'The Diary of a Madman'. In her account, she went on to detail how she worshipped Rush and was ecstatic when she was chosen to star in the theater production.

Yael Stone arrives at the 59th Annual Logie Awards at Crown Palladium on April 23, 2017, in Melbourne, Australia. (Getty Images)
Yael Stone arrives at the 59th Annual Logie Awards at Crown Palladium on April 23, 2017, in Melbourne, Australia. (Getty Images)
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"It was the biggest break I had ever had," Stone told the media outlet. "This wasn’t a stepping stone. It was a leap across the river." However, it was not long before things took a turn and Rush allegedly started sending Stone texts that were "affectionate and flirtatious, flowery and yet occasionally vulgar."

At the time, the actress said that she "enthusiastically and willingly" responded to the texts despite feeling uncomfortable about the content Rush was sending her. "I was so flattered that someone like that would spend their time texting me into the very early hours of the morning," she recalled.

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"Gradually the text messages became more sexual in nature, but always encased in this very highfalutin intellectual language."

Yael Stone and Geoffrey Rush pose at the opening night of 'Richard III' on Broadway at The Belasco Theater on November 10, 2013, in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic)
Yael Stone and Geoffrey Rush pose at the opening night of 'Richard III' on Broadway at The Belasco Theater on November 10, 2013, in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic)

The 'OITNB' actress also alleged that Rush once held up a mirror to spy on her while she was in the shower at the theater. "I remember I looked up to see there was a small shaving mirror over the top of the partition between the showers and he was using it to look down at my naked body. I believe that it was meant with a playful intention, but the effect was that I felt there was nowhere for me to feel safe and unobserved," she said.

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In another dressing room incident, the actress described how Rush danced "totally naked" in front of her in a "playful, clownish manner" while she was simply removing her makeup. She playfully responded to the action with  "an attitude of, 'Oh, you’re a very naughty boy'" because she was scared of how Rush would portray her if she told him she was uncomfortable.

Actor Yael Stone attends the 23rd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Expo Hall on January 29, 2017, in Los Angeles, California. (Getty Images)
Actor Yael Stone attends the 23rd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Expo Hall on January 29, 2017, in Los Angeles, California. (Getty Images)

"I didn’t want him to think I was no fun, that I was one of those people who couldn’t take a joke," Stone said. She also recalled another incident, where at an awards show, Rush touched her back "in a very sensual manner" that was "unwanted and sustained". Although he later apologized for the inappropriate action, he said it was "uncalled-for but had to".

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When asked why she had been silent for so long regarding the serious issue, Stone said that her decision to not reveal her story before was caused by a lot of factors, which included losing friends and being shut down by Australia’s defamation laws.

Actors Nicole Kidman and Geoffrey Rush arrive at the 2015 G'Day USA Gala Featuring The AACTA International Awards Presented By QANTAS at the Hollywood Palladium on January 31, 2015, in Los Angeles, California. (Getty Images)
Actors Nicole Kidman and Geoffrey Rush arrive at the 2015 G'Day USA Gala Featuring The AACTA International Awards Presented By QANTAS at the Hollywood Palladium on January 31, 2015, in Los Angeles, California. (Getty Images)

Ever since Stone made her experience with the actor public, Rush has denied all her allegations in a statement to the New York Times, calling the alleged incidents "incorrect and in some instances have been taken completely out of context."

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He said, "Clearly Yael has been upset on occasion by the spirited enthusiasm I generally bring to my work. I sincerely and deeply regret if I have caused her any distress. This, most certainly, has never been my intention."

Back in 2017, Rush had been accused of misconduct by Sydney’s The Daily Telegraph over behaving inappropriately toward actress Eryn Jean Norvill during the Sydney Theatre Company's production of 'King Lear' in 2015 and 2016. Following the 2017 fiasco, Rush had to step down as president of the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts.

Australian actor Geoffrey Rush leaves the Federal Law court defamation trial against a Sydney newspaper The Daily Telegraph on November 8, 2018, in Sydney, Australia. (Getty Images)
Australian actor Geoffrey Rush leaves the Federal Law court defamation trial against a Sydney newspaper The Daily Telegraph on November 8, 2018, in Sydney, Australia. (Getty Images)

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