Justice
Director Polanski in court in Paris
Director Roman Polanski has to stand trial in Paris. photo
© Sebastien Nogier/EPA/dpa
His films are celebrated, but director Polanski is ostracized by many because of allegations of abuse. Now he is on trial for harsh words against one of his alleged victims.
In 2010, Lewis, a British woman, accused French-Polish director Polanski of sexually abusing her in the 1980s. “He knew I was 16 when he forced himself on me in his Paris apartment,” the actress said. Lewis had a small role in Polanski’s film “Pirates” (1986).
Polanski denied the allegations. In the “Paris Match” interview at the end of 2019, the director also referred to statements by the actress that, in his opinion, questioned the allegations. In another interview, Lewis said she didn’t know how many men she had had sex with for money when she was 14, and that she was fascinated by Polanski and wanted to be his lover. “The fundamental quality of a good liar is an excellent memory,” Polanski told the paper. “Charlotte Lewis is always included in the list of my accusers without ever pointing out these contradictions.” Lewis had said about the interview quoted by Polanski that numerous quotes from her attributed to her were not accurate.
The actress stated in the French newspaper “Le Parisien” that a smear campaign had been launched against her in 2010. It was like a nightmare from which she couldn’t wake up. She suffered from it every day. This also affected her career and health. According to the newspaper, Lewis sees a conviction of Polanski as a form of justice. “Roman Polanski knows very well that I have never been a prostitute or a liar. I just want to clear my name for my son and his future children.” Maybe she could start a normal life someday.
Lewis is far from the only woman who has made serious allegations against Polanski. Especially since the emergence of the #MeToo movement in 2017, several women have accused the maker of numerous cinematic masterpieces of sexual abuse, especially in the 1970s. Allegations which he denies. In the wake of #MeToo, Polanski was also kicked out of the Oscar Academy in 2018. For many he has now become an undesirable person. He defended himself in the “Paris Match” in the “Paris Match.” People have been trying to “make a monster out of him” for years.
There has also been a case against Polanski in the USA for more than 40 years: Polanski is said to have drugged a 13-year-old in the villa of Hollywood star Jack Nicholson in 1977 and then raped her. Polanski pleaded guilty at the time and spent 42 days in psychiatric custody. The day before the official sentence was announced, he fled to France out of fear that his sentence would be extended. Since then, he has lived mostly in France and avoids visiting countries that have an extradition treaty with the United States.