Who is Blake Stuerman? Disgraced X-Men director Bryan Singer's ex-partner accuses him of abuse
'X-Men' director Bryan Singer's former assistant and romantic partner Blake Stuerman has accused him of mental and emotional abuse. Stuerman, 30, has now spoken out about his four-year-long abusive relationship in a first-person account for Variety. Stuerman confirmed that the two got into a relationship when he was 18 and the singer was 43.
"I was working in New York as an assistant scenic designer when I was introduced to Bryan Singer. Bryan had heard about me through Gary Goddard, a friend of his, who was producing two of the shows I was working on. I was stick thin, wildly precocious and looked no older than 15. The textbook definition of a twink," Variety quoted Stuerman as saying.
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In the course of their acquaintance, Bryan mentored Stuerman. "I worked hard and secured contract work at various firms and studios. Bryan told me I was talented. He was mentoring me. I had been hooked by the promise of working in film. I moved across the country on my own dime at his encouragement. He said it’s what I was supposed to be doing," Stuerman said.
Stuerman recalled how one night, the two of them ended up alone in the director's room. "I was newly 18, alone in a hotel suite with a rich and famous man who was giving me his full attention, and I was intoxicated for the first time in my life," Stuerman said. Stuerman, however, later found out that Singer had an inclination towards "young-looking men". With time, he witnessed a different side of Singer, and once saw him assaulting someone in 2012.
At a party one night, Stuerman witnessed Singer, who was drunk, attacking a guest. He later threatened Stuerman saying he would kill him if he left him alone. "I began sending frantic texts to people who were still partying, telling them to shut everything off. He kept telling me to put my phone away, his tone becoming more and more aggressive. I hid the light of my phone behind a ridge of the comforter. I continued sending texts as discreetly as I could. I pleaded with them to tell everyone to go to sleep or leave. This wasn’t a joke. My texts were desperate. I was desperate," Stuerman recalled. "It was nearly 6 am by the time I was able to get everything shut down. That’s when he finally fell asleep."
"From then on, I lived in fear of Bryan following through on his threats," Stuerman added, "If Bryan found out I had hooked up with someone without his permission — without inviting him to participate — he berated me, and dangled my future in front of me. I wasn’t allowed to date. I wasn’t allowed to have sex with people of my choosing. He controlled me."
Stuerman revealed that the abuse at the hands of Singer would often trigger panic attacks. In fact, it was so bad this one time that he collapsed from hyperventilation. He had to subsequently be taken to the emergency room by an ambulance. "Just before “Days of Future Past” was released in 2014, Bryan was very publicly accused of sexual assault and rape. Since I had been in his orbit for so long, my life was analyzed, hacked, and sold to tabloids. I had been warned not to say anything. Unable to defend myself publicly and embarrassed I had been fired, I completely retreated and fell into a severe depression," Stuerman said.
"I had to move home. My parents watched me struggle to get out of bed each day for almost two years. They watched as I repeatedly dealt with alcohol abuse and dependence on anti-anxiety medications. As a condition of living with them, I began seeing a therapist weekly. Even after years of therapy, I still instinctively believe anything that goes wrong is my fault, and mine to fix. I say sorry so much that I’m often asked for what it is I’m apologizing. I thought about all those who came before me — what condition were they in? It turns out addiction, severe depression, PTSD and anxiety are all very common among those of us who experienced Bryan’s wrath," he added.
Bryan Singer was accused of misconduct involving minors back in 1997. In a 2014 civil lawsuit which was later withdrawn, Singer was also accused of raping a minor. The director has faced several lawsuits accusing him of raping minors. Some of these were reportedly settled out of court.
Stuerman concluded by saying that he has decided to get back into the industry on his terms. He has decided not to defend abusers, and not to allow himself to be abused again. "I am a victim of abuse by a very powerful, very wealthy and very sick man. I am a victim of Bryan Singer," Stuerman said.