Actress Asia Argento accused filmmaker Rob Cohen of drugging and sexually assaulting her during the filming of the action movie “xXx” almost two decades ago.
Argento, one of the first accusers of the ashamed film mogul Harvey Weinstein, made the accusations in an interview given to the Italian newspaper Il Corriere della Sera and other Italian media over the weekend.
“It’s the first time I’ve talked about Cohen,” she said, according to Variety. “He abused me by making me drink GHB – he had a bottle of it,” she said, referring to the anesthetic drug often used in court rapes.
“At that time, I didn’t know what it was. I woke up in the morning empty in his bed.
Argento claimed that the attack took place while filming the film “xXx”, directed by Cohen, in 2002, which also has Vin Diesel and Samuel L. Jackson.
In a statement sent to Variety, Argento confirmed the details of his accusation, adding that he is discussing it in his forthcoming autobiography, The Anatomy of a Wild Heart, which is set to be released in Italy later this month.
Actress Asia Argento accused filmmaker Rob Cohen of drugging and sexually assaulting her almost two decades ago
Argento claimed that the assault took place while filming the film “xXx”, directed by Cohen, in 2002 (photographed together for a photocall for xXx in 2002, above)
During her conversation with the Italian media, Argento claimed that she was not initially sure what had happened to her when she was drugged and raped by Cohen.
I found out later, talking to a friend who opened my eyes to that substance [GHB],’ she said.
Argento said he refrained from talking about the alleged attack at the time and in later years because he “did not want to create another storm.”
However, since two women spoke out against [Cohen], including his daughter, she said she was encouraged to come forward.
Responding to Argento’s allegations, a 71-year-old Cohen spokesman vehemently denied that there was any truth to them.
‘Mr. Cohen categorically denies the completely false accusation of sexual assault that Asia Argento brought to him.
The spokesman added that Cohen and Argenton “had an excellent working relationship” while working together and that “Cohen considered her a friend.”
“So this accusation, which dates back to 2002, is puzzling, especially given what has been said about it in recent years.”
“He abused me by making me drink GHB – he had a bottle of it,” she said, referring to the anesthetic drug often used in court rapes. “At that time, I did not know what it was. I woke up naked in his bed in the morning ‘
Diesel, Asia Argento, director Rob Cohen and Samuel L. Jackson come to the premiere of “XXX” at the Village Theater in Westwood, CA
The spokesman’s comments seem to allude to the allegations made in August 2018, by which Argento was accused of sexually assaulting his fellow actor Jimmy Bennett.
Bennett claimed that the incident happened in May 2013, when he was 17, at a hotel in California.
Although he initially denied the accusation and claimed that he had not had sexual interactions with Bennett, in a few weeks, he withdrew the allegations and admitted that they had sex, but claims that he did not know how old he was at the time.
Bennett challenged Argento’s version of events, and later allegedly paid him $ 380,000 in cash.
Argento was at the forefront of #MeToo after claiming she was sexually assaulted by the ashamed tycoon Harvey Weinstein.
She was one of the first to go public with her story, telling The New York Times that she had been assaulted by Weinstein at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival.
Cohen has also been previously charged with sexual assault at least twice.
Jimmy Bennett (left) claimed that Asia Argento (right) slept with him in a hotel room in California when he was 17 in May 2013
Premiere: Argento and her alleged rapist Weinstein at the premiere of The Heart is Deceitful at Cannes in 2004 (above)
In 2019, Cohen was accused of sexually assaulting a victim – identified only as “Jane” – while she was unconscious.
The reported assault allegedly took place in 2016 after Cohen invited the woman to a business meeting in Manhattan to discuss collaborating with a potential TV pilot.
According to Jane, Cohen chose a cigar lounge for the meeting location and ordered a drink, even though he didn’t ask for one. Then they continued their meeting at a restaurant near the hotel where he was staying.
At the restaurant, Jane said, Cohen ordered a carafe of wine and encouraged her to drink more.
During the meeting, Jane said that Cohen flirted with her and told her details about his sex life, although he did not ask her. She said she ignored Cohen’s comments because she needed the pilot’s money and was excited about her career opportunity.
Among the other things she remembered about the evening, she was beginning to feel “unclear,” being alone with Cohen at the restaurant because the other diners had left, and Cohen bent down to kiss her on the cheek and go with him to another bar. .
She said the next memory was regaining consciousness in a bed in Cohen’s hotel room. She said she was naked and that Cohen’s face was standing and that he had put his fingers inside it – none of his actions were activities she had consented to.
He said he jumped out of bed, went to the bathroom and threw.
When he tripped in bed again, he said that Cohen tried to have sex with her, but that he stopped when he told her to stop.
In 2019, Cohen faced similar charges from his daughter Valkyrie Weather, who accused him of molesting her when she was just two years old.
Despite being a social drinker at the time of her life, Jane said she did not remember drinking enough alcohol to darken or lose consciousness and that the incident “did not feel like being very drunk”.
When contacted about the complaints, Cohen’s lawyer issued a 13-page rejection, calling the allegations “outrageous” and “extraordinarily offensive.”
First reported by the Huffington Post, two of Jane’s friends confirmed to the press that she told them about the alleged attack immediately after it happened.
Jane also shared medical records to show that she was seeking clinical treatment as a victim of a sexual assault within weeks of meeting Cohen.
In early 2019, Cohen faced similar charges from his daughter Valkyrie Weather, who accused him of molesting her when she was just two years old.
Weather, Cohen’s eldest child, who is transgender, said: “When I was very young, Rob used my body for his own sexual satisfaction.
“My mother witnessed one of the attacks when I was between two and two and a half years old and since then she has confirmed what she saw. That cost me more than I could ever convey here, ‘she said.
The weather continued to accuse her father of raping “at least one other woman, in her sleep” and said she told him the story as “an anecdote”.
Cohen on the set with Vin Diesel during the xXx filming in 2002 in the picture above
Weather also claimed that her father would take her as a teenager, before the transition, to see sex workers in Thailand and the Czech Republic.
Responding to Argento’s allegations, a 71-year-old Cohen spokesman vehemently denied that there was any truth to them. ‘Mr. Cohen categorically denies the completely false accusation of sexual assault that Asia Argento brought to him ‘
She said she was inspired to speak “because of the” #metoo movement “and because of therapy and support from loved ones.
“Although Rob will probably get away with criminal justice, I ask that my story be heard. I’m not looking for financial refunds and I don’t have a career to promote. My biggest hope is that others who have been hurt by Rob Cohen feel that they are capable of showing up as well.
In a statement, Cohen, a father of four, again denied the allegations against him, calling his daughter’s allegations categorically untrue, “painful” and that “her beloved child accused me of the most horrible thing imaginable.”
“When Valkyrie’s mother (Kyle at the time) and I were divorcing, she accused me of many things during the custody process, including a similar charge. After a very long trial, the court-appointed psychiatrist granted me full custody, despite these false accusations, “Cohen said.
“Later, my ex-wife appealed and, after another long trial, I received full custody again. At this time, Kyle was about 14 years old and, when asked about his father’s preference for living, he chose me, ”the statement said.
“Recently, my child chose to live his life authentically and move on to the woman he is today. When she wrote to me about it, I told her that she has my ongoing love and support, as well as how beautiful and courageous I think she is, ”Cohen continued.
He also denied his daughter’s allegations that he had raped another woman.
“Maybe I wasn’t a perfect husband.” I am, as we all are, a person and a parent who has made mistakes along the way, but I would never hurt any of my children or any child in this regard, ”Cohen, who has been married several times, added .
Cohen, 71, has directed numerous films, including Fast and the Furious, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, The Running Man and Bird on a Wire.