Issued on:
Actress Rosie Perez took the stand in the rape trial of Harvey Weinstein on Friday to bolster the account of friend and fellow actress Annabella Sciorra, who said she was raped by the former Hollywood producer in the early 1990s.
Advertising
Read more
Perez, whose film credits include Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing," told jurors that Sciorra shared details of the alleged assault, including that Weinstein had pinned her arms above her head as he raped her.
Weinstein, 67, has pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting two other women, Mimi Haleyi and Jessica Mann.
Sciorra, who appeared in "The Sopranos," testified on Thursday that Weinstein violently raped her more than 25 years ago.
While that allegation is too old to support a separate rape charge against Weinstein, prosecutors hope it will show that he is a repeat sexual predator – the charge that could put him in prison for life.
Since 2017, more than 80 women, including many famous actresses, have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct.
The accusations fueled the #MeToo movement, in which women have accused powerful men in business, entertainment, media and politics of sexual misconduct. Weinstein's trial is widely seen as a watershed moment for the movement.
Weinstein has denied any nonconsensual sex, and his lawyers said in opening statements on Wednesday that emails from his accusers would show they maintained warm relations with him after the alleged attacks.
Perez, testifying for the prosecution, said she called Sciorra one night to invite her to go out, but Sciorra answered in a "strange whisper of a voice."
When she asked Sciorra what was wrong, Sciorra answered, "I think something bad happened. I think I was raped."
Perez testified that when she asked Sciorra who had raped her, Sciorra said only, "I can't, I can't."
Months later, Perez said, she heard rumors that Weinstein was stalking Sciorra in London and concluded he was the rapist. Perez said she called Sciorra, who confirmed her suspicion.
Perez said she urged Sciorra to go to the police, but Sciorra refused, saying, "He'd destroy me."
Weinstein lawyer Damon Cheronis cross-examined Perez, pressing her about the details of her first phone call to Sciorra and asking her whether she went to check on her friend after the conversation.
Perez said she had not.