Timothy Hutton rape shock: Sera Johnston says actor wanted his friend to watch assault, turns down $135k hush money
Oscar-winning actor, Timothy Hutton, who headlined the Fox drama 'Almost Family' has come under scrutiny for allegedly raping Sera Johnston in 1983, an ex-Canadian model who was 14 years old at the time.
This has also raised eyebrows at the status of the upcoming Gloria Steinem biopic 'The Glorias', where Hutton co-stars with Alicia Vikander and Julianne Moore. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January and is slated for a world-wide theatre release in September.
'The Glorias' is the life-story and re-telling of the journey of prominent American activist, Gloria Steinem. The plot follows Steinem's personal struggles with sexual and workplace harassment and the misogyny she faced while actively promoting feminism in the 1960s. Hutton stars in the supporting role of Steinem's father as 'Leo' and it is believed, the accusation against him could possibly thwart the film's promotional schedule and ultimately impact its success. Following the allegations, Fox has also announced the cancellation of Season 2 of 'Almost Family'.
The allegation against Hutton was made by the former Canadian model in a BuzzFeed report from Monday, March 2 claiming that Hutton had assaulted her when he was in town for the shooting of his film, 'Iceman'. Johnston had filed a complaint against Hutton earlier last year with the Vancouver police department, where she said that the actor had raped her in a Vancouver hotel room when she was 14 years old, back in 1983.
Johnston explained to Buzzfeed's Kate Aurthur and Adam B. Vary that Hutton had suggested they go up to his hotel room, only minutes into knowing her. Johnston was already a working actress and was accompanied by two other friends at the time of the incident. She hadn't found it odd but was rather elated at the chance to hang out with her oscar-winning idol.
Further describing the scenario in elaborate detail, she said that it was only after they got to the room, that she realized the situation was far from innocent. The feeling of discomfort crept in when Hutton sat down beside her and offered them alcohol. “He was getting very close to me, like, you know, really kind of sidling up to me, and petting my legs and stuff,” she said. “I was just, like: I think this is going to be bad. I was really wrong about this.”
She mentioned not being able to recall how they made it to his bedroom, but Hutton's friend joined them while he was inquiring with her about sex. She went on to talk about how she felt panic-stricken and said that it wasn't a good idea and that her mother wouldn't be too happy about it. She claimed that Hutton then proceeded to undress and thrust inside her while she begged him to stop. His response to her pleas was that she would like it, and his friend would watch them.
“It hurt like hell,” she said. “I mean, it was very painful. God. Yeah, it was extremely painful. Horrible, horrible, absolutely horrible.”
Hutton has "completely and unequivocally" denied the allegations. Through a lawyer, Hutton told BuzzFeed News that he has never met Johnston and “will not spend one more minute dignifying these allegations as they are patently false and designed only to extort money from him.”
He blatantly said that Johnston gave a graphic account of a made-up sexual encounter. There is no evidence to support a supposed 36-year-old claim that any smut fiction writer could have penned, he added. Hutton's attorney went as far as to say that the whole story is "fabricated" with “patently false, scurrilous, and defamatory statements.”
Buzzfeed also managed to track down Johnston's friend, C.B (as she wanted to go by), one of the two girls that had accompanied her to Hutton's hotel room. In a separate interview with Buzzfeed, she backed-up Johnston's claims and signed an affidavit under penalty of perjury.
Five other people the portal approached also confirmed that Johnston had confided in them about the incident. Her mother, who was a set decorator at the time divulged that she regrets not going to police for fear of being blacklisted in the film industry.
Johnston's move to expose Hutton's transgression came about courtesy the #MeToo movement. Prior to it, she had been hesitant to come forward because she thought no one would take her word for it, especially when a highly respected celebrity was among the accused.
In terms of the settlement, Johnston initially agreed to $135,000 proposed by Hutton's legal team. She changed her mind only later when she realized signing the documents would mean Hutton could deny the indiscretion. Although, she did sign a non-disclosure agreement. Hutton's team also questioned the legibility of Johnston's account, when they were made aware of Johnston's ex-boyfriend's effort of brokering a settlement with Hutton's friend (the one who was present in the hotel room with Hutton).
Johnston spoke of the gravity of the incident and how it 'colored every area of my life'. Besides his statement, Hutton has also sent Buzzfeed a legal retraction demand claiming that the website was in financial need and used Johnston's wrongful account to attract readers.
A spokesperson has responded to the retraction demand on behalf of Buzzfeed saying, “BuzzFeed News’ reporting on the alleged rape of a 14-year-old girl by Timothy Hutton is based on interviews with the alleged victim, the account of a woman who was with her that evening, and five separate people who were told of the assault at the time.