In a recent interview with UK LGBT
glossy Attitude, actor George Takei said that he had
nightmares over sexual assault allegations against him.
In November, 2017, Scott Brunton, a
former male model, told The Hollywood Reporter that Takei in
1981 groped him after a night of drinking. He said that he “passed
out” in the actor's apartment. “I was coming to and he had my
pants down around my ankles and he was groping my crotch and trying
to get my underwear off and feeling me up at the same time, trying to
get his hands down my underwear,” Brunton said.
The Observer's Shane Snow looked
into the claims and concluded that the public and press “got the
George Takei assault story wrong.”
The piece notes that Brunton did not
accuse Takei of drugging him until two days after his initial claims.
A toxicologist disagreed. “To recover so speedily doesn't sound
like the actions of a drug,” the expert said.
The
Observer also noted inconsistencies in interviews Brunton
gave, specially that in later accounts he left out any touching.
In response, Brunton told ABC
News that he stands by his claims, saying that all he wants is an
apology from Takei.
Speaking with Attitude, Takei,
81, said that the allegations gave him nightmares.
“It was hellish! I had nightmares, I
couldn’t sleep," Takei said. "It was torturous, and yet,
because of what I said about the #MeToo movement, I’m respecting it
and I’m not going to say anything more other than the statement I
put out.”
"But I was so disappointed in the
press for not vetting it. Just like when we were incarcerated, there
were no charges, no trial, no due process, and here, it took one
unknown person to accuse me and the press just took that as fact and
did nothing about it.”
Takei said that Snow's report restored
his faith in the press.
“Snow did it in a very professional
way. He talked to the accuser many times He took that information
and checked with the toxicologists. Also, he kept changing his
story. There were many stories that he changed, so he's quite
discredited now,” Takei
added.
Attitude recently awarded Takei
its Icon Award.