Actress Kristina Cohen has accused Ed Westwick of rape, coming forward with her allegations in a lengthy Facebook post Monday with some graphic details of the alleged incident.
Cohen was “sexually assaulted three years ago,” but says she kept her story to herself because her mother was dying of cancer at the time and she “didn’t have the support system or time to process” to “deal with the aftermath of the rape.” After countless women have come forward over the past few weeks with their stories of sexual harassment, assault and rape, Cohen finally found the courage to come forward with her story as well.
(Photo credit: Getty Images)
Cohen met Westwick through a producer she was dating at the time. Shortly after meeting Westwick at his house the “Gossip Girl” actor suggested the three of them have sex. Cohen immediately wanted to leave after the awkward suggestion, but her unnamed producer boyfriend insisted they stay at which point Cohen claims Westwick told her to take a nap in the guest bedroom.
“So I went and laid down in the guest room where I eventually fell asleep, I was woken up abruptly by Ed on top of me, his fingers entering my body,” Cohen wrote on Facebook. “I told him to stop, but he was strong. I fought him off as hard as I could but he grabbed my face in his hands, shaking me, telling me he wanted to f**k me. I was paralyzed, terrified. I couldn’t speak, I could no longer move. He held me down and raped me.”
“It was a nightmare, and the days following weren’t any better,” the 28-year-old actress wrote before describing why she stayed silent for so long.
(Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)
“The producer put the blame on me, telling me I was an active participant. Telling me that I can’t say anything because Ed will have people come after me, destroy me, and that I could forget about an acting career,” Cohen explained. “Saying there’s no way I can go around saying Ed ‘raped’ me and that I don’t want to be ‘that girl.'”
“And for the longest time, I believed him. I didn’t want to be ‘that girl,'” Cohen admitted. “I now realize the ways in which these men in power prey on women, and how this tactic is used so frequently in our industry, and surely, in many others.”
Cohen has acted in a handful of minor roles over the years, including an appearance in “Californication,” which Westwick also appeared in at a different time. Westwick is better-known having acted in shows like “Gossip Girl,” “White Gold” and “Snatch.”