|
Mirren says she was date-raped
18/10/2003 17:50 - (SA)
London - Oscar nominated British actress Helen Mirren says she was date-raped several times in her late teens and early twenties, a newspaper reported on Saturday.
Mirren, 58, achieved international fame playing Detective Jane Tennison in TV police drama "Prime Suspect" and won Oscar nominations for her supporting roles in "The Madness of King George" and "Gosford Park."
In an interview with The Daily Mirror newspaper, Mirren was asked whether she had ever been a victim of date rape.
"Yes, absolutely," the newspaper quoted her as replying. "Not once but several times. It was all terribly upsetting and disturbing.
"What woman hasn't been in this situation?" Mirren said. "I was very wobbly about it at the time. Afterwards, you blame yourself and feel like crap. And we all say, 'I shouldn't have gone there, had that drink.'
"It's a non-talked about subject. ... I mean it's really not talked about enough. Maybe more women should."
The Daily Mirror quoted her as saying the date rapes occurred between the ages of 16-25. The actress did not name her alleged assailants, and the paper did not say whether she had reported the attacks to the police.
Mirren said the experiences had affected the way she felt about men.
"I found they were absolutely horrible - so vile and so cruel and alien and nasty and disturbing to me as a female," she said.
"In general, I find younger guys can look at women as human beings, which I didn't feel men of my generation could do," Mirren said. "But I'm not comfortable with large groups of men."
- AP
|
South Africa
