Julianna Margulies had a "horrific" encounter with an armed Steven Seagal in his hotel room.
Julianna Margulies
The 'Good Wife' actress - who starred with the veteran actor in 1991 film 'Out for Justice' - had been reassured by a female casting director that she wouldn't have to be alone with the 65-year-old star, so she was disturbed to find them the only people in the room when she arrived.
The 51-year-old star claimed: "When I was 23, a casting director, a woman, said, 'Steven Seagal wants to go over the scene with you in his hotel room at 10 o'clock at night.'
"I lived in Brooklyn, and I said, 'Oh, I don't do that. I don't travel. I don't have money for a cab.' And I didn't. And I said, 'And I don't take subways late at night.' And she says, 'Don't worry we'll reimburse you. And I'm here, a woman.'
"I got to the hotel at 10:40, and she wasn't there. And he was. Alone. And he made sure that I saw his gun, which I had never seen a gun in real life. And I got out of there unscathed."
Julianna learned from the experience so when a female assistant of Harvey Weinstein asked her to meet with the producer in his hotel room to discuss a recent audition, she refused.
She said: "I have my own Harvey story, but I never was raped. And I never was harmed. And I don't know how I got out of that hotel room. It always starts with, 'I'm a healer, I want to massage you' and all. I sorta screamed my way out...But, the point is that for years, years, we all just shrug it off...
"And because of my experience with Steven Seagal in that room, which was horrific, I refused to meet Harvey Weinstein in his hotel room when another woman brought me, saying 'You will absolutely get [a screen test].' ... [The assistant] said 'I'm going to drop you off at the Peninsula,' and I said, 'I'm not going up there alone.' I saw how she started to sweat. She was like, 'Don't be silly, I'm just going to drop you off. It's going to be fine.' And I said, 'Nope, then I'm going home.' "
According to the former 'E.R.' star, when she and the assistant arrived at the room, Weinstein - who has been accused of sexual misconduct by dozens of women - was wearing a bathrobe and a candlelit dinner for two was set up.
She continued on SiriusXM's 'Just Jenny': "I saw him stare at her, daggers. And I turned to see what she had done to deserve that, and I caught her in a shrug, like 'What could I do?'
"He looked at me, furious, and he took the door and he said, 'Just wanted to say great audition.' And he slammed the door. Of course I didn't get the part."
Julianna felt "set up" by the women.
She added: "It's not always the men that are awful...We have to start holding these people accountable."
A spokesperson for Seagal hasn't commented on the claims.
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