Rachel McAdams Joins Women Accusing James Toback of Sexual Harassment, Shares Her Own Experience with the Director
After the Los Angeles Times published an article about 38 women accusing director James Toback of sexual harassment, Rachel McAdams comes out and shares her own personal experience with the renowned director.
Famed indie director James Toback has allegedly sexually harassed a number of women over the years. Beginning with 38, the list of women who have accused the director of sexual harassment has considerably grown, and Rachel McAdams has now joined these women.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, the 38-year-old actress recalled a time during her early 20s where she was invited over by Toback to his hotel room. At the time, McAdams was only 21 and was still in theater school but tried her luck at gaining a role in the film "Harvard Man." After impressing Toback with her audition, he quickly called her casting agents and told them McAdams and he should workshop together, going so far as to invite the actress over to his hotel room.
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According to McAdams, she didn't want to meet up with the director that night due to her own anxiety as well as the fact she had to wake up early the next day, but Toback insisted that it was the only time they could meet. And so she did.
When she arrived at his hotel room, she was surprised by Toback's unsubtlety. "He had all of these books and magazines splayed out on the floor. He invited me to sit on the floor, which was a bit awkward. Pretty quickly the conversation turned quite sexual and he said, 'You know, I just have to tell you. I have masturbated countless times today thinking about you since we met at your audition,'" McAdams recalled.
That was when she became uncomfortable. Unfortunately for her, the director would become even more manipulative towards her, asking her how brave she was and how far she was willing to go as an actress.
Shortly after, the actress says that Toback had excused himself to go to the bathroom, but when he returned, the director confessed to having just finished masturbating at the thought of her. Then he asked McAdams if he could see her pubic hair, and that was when she decided it was time to leave.
"I was so naïve. I think I just didn't want to believe that it could turn worse. But yes, there was this sinking feeling inside of me. Like, 'Oh my god, I am in this hotel room alone with this person,'" McAdams explained. "I just kept trying to normalize it, thinking, 'This has to be some weird acting exercise. This is some kind of test. I just have to show that I'm brave and this doesn't bother me and nothing can shake me,'" she went on to say.
When she told her casting agent about what had transpired, she says the agent became outraged and apologized to McAdams. Not only that, the agent also admitted that it wasn't the first time Toback had done that to an actress.
Toback has since denied all the allegations thrown at him, but more women are coming out of hiding, especially after the Harvey Weinstein scandal had brought Hollywood sexual abuse to light.
