The actor and producer Steven Seagal has denied the latest in a series of sexual assault allegations made against him.
Rachel Grant, best known for starring as a Bond girl in Die Another Day, claims the Hollywood star pulled down her top and then exposed himself to her during an audition in Bulgaria, a claim his lawyers say he “unequivocally denies”.
Grant’s allegation is the latest in a string of sexual misconduct accusations against Seagal. On Friday the Los Angeles police department confirmed they were investigating him over an allegation of sexual assault although it is unknown who made the complaint.
The British actor, who says she was emboldened by the #metoo campaign, says the incident happened when she was flown to Sofia and left alone in a hotel suite with Seagal.
She told BBC News that he repeatedly asked her to take off her top, which she refused.
“I stood up to try to distract him. But he was able to tug down my top, which was strapless. My breasts were completely exposed and I was forced to cover myself,” she said.
“He pushed me on to the bed with force. Then he said: ‘I suppose you want to see my private parts’ – though he used a different word. I was looking up and he started to pull down his zip.”
Grant says she burst into tears, at which point Seagal apologised. However, she later lost her job on the film, Out for a Kill.
Lawyers for Seagal released a statement, which said: “Our client denies having such contact with Ms Grant and further vehemently denies any alleged assault at all, in particular, the alleged assault occurring in Sofia, Bulgaria, in 2002.”
Several other women have accused Seagal of inappropriate behaviour and harassment including actors Portia de Rossi, Julianna Margulies, Jenny McCarthy and Rae Dawn Chong.
De Rossi wrote on Twitter about an incident in which she said he ‘unzipped his pants’.
My final audition for a Steven Segal movie took place in his office. He told me how important it was to have chemistry off-screen as he sat me down and unzipped his leather pants. I️ ran out and called my agent. Unfazed, she replied, “well, I didn’t know if he was your type.”
— Portia de Rossi (@portiaderossi) November 8, 2017
Regina Simons, who was 18 when shooting the film On Deadly Ground in 1993, told the Wrap that Seagal raped her after he invited her to a party at his house.
Former model Faviola Dadis also claimed in an Instagram post that Seagal had groped her during a 2002 audition.
Seagal has not yet responded to the allegations.
