He sent her ambiguous text messages at night, danced naked in front of her and watched her shower: The actress Yael Stone, known from the series "Orange Is The New Black," the "New York Times" and the TV channel ABC detailed how Geoffrey Rush is said to have sexually harassed her.

The described incidents are said to have occurred in 2010 and 2011, when Stone and Rush played together on the stage production "Diary Of A Madman" in Sydney. Stone says she was an unknown young actress at the time, a Rush Oscar winner (for the movie "Shine") and an international star ("Pirates of the Caribbean", "Elizabeth").

The whole production revolved around Rush, Stone said, and everyone involved, including them, was trying to make his job as comfortable as possible. Between her and him have developed a loose Frotzelei via SMS. Over time, however, his text messages would have contained more and more sexual allusions.

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Yael Stone accuses Geofrey Rush of having crossed borders. She plays the character of Lorna Morello in "Orange Is The New Black"

Among other things, Rush had alluded to his "swelling" (English: "tumescence"). Sender ABC states that there are other text messages of this nature. Over time, Stone says, Rush's behavior escalated. So he danced naked in front of her and watched her with a mirror as she took a shower.

"I think that should be a joke," said Stone in the ABC interview. "It felt extremely uncomfortable to me." Later, Rush apologized for his behavior, also for caressing her over the back at an event. The mail that ABC has received closes with the words, "Inappropriate, but I had to."

At that time, Stone said, she had nothing to say. She also did not know how to stop Rush: "The most important thing for me then was: You can not offend Geoffrey, because that could burden the next appearance and even your entire career." Today she talks about the incidents in the public interest. She hopes her report will encourage young actresses not to stand still when the behavior of others crosses a line.

Already a year ago there were similar allegations

Geoffrey Rush responded to allegations that they were incorrect and partially out of context. He was sorry he should have hurt Stone with his "spirited enthusiasm."

Rush was accused of being convicted a year ago. The actress Eryn Jean Norvill has testified that Rush touched her against her will and followed her to the bathroom at a party. This should have been reflected in a production of "King Lear" in 2015.

In December 2018, Rush sued The Daily Telegraph for defamation for having printed "false, derogatory and humiliating allegations" in connection with the allegations. A court ruling is expected in early 2019.