Quentin Tarantino apologises to woman raped by Polanski at 13 after saying ‘she was down with this’
Quentin Tarantino has apologised to Roman Polanski’s rape victim after an interview resurfaced in which the Pulp Fiction director described Samantha Geimer, who was 13 at the time, as a “party girl” who wanted to have sex.
He made the comments in a 2003 interview with Howard Stern.
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The word words added to pressure on Tarantino amid intense scrutiny of his close relationship with Harvey Weinstein, the disgraced film producer.
Facing a backlash, he told Indie Wire he had contacted Ms Geimer to offer a personal apology and said he was wrong to speculate on the crime.
“Fifteen years later, I realise how wrong I was. Ms Geimer WAS raped by Roman Polanski. When Howard brought up Polanski, I incorrectly played devil’s advocate in the debate for the sake of being provocative,” he said in a statement.
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“I didn’t take Ms Geimer’s feelings into consideration and for that I am truly sorry.
“So, Ms Geimer, I was ignorant, and insensitive, and above all, incorrect. I am sorry Samantha.”
Polanski was arrested and charged with drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl in 1977. He later pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of unlawful sex.
However, he fled to Paris before he could be sentenced and remains wanted in the US.
Tarantino repeatedly defended Polanski’s actions during the 2003 interview.
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“He didn’t rape a 13-year-old,” he said at the time. “It was statutory rape…he had sex with a minor. That’s not rape.
“To me, when you use the word rape, you’re talking about violent, throwing them down—it’s like one of the most violent crimes in the world.”
It also emerged last week that Polanski will feature as a character in a forthcoming Tarantino film.
For her part, Ms Geimer said she was willing to forgive and forget.
“I’m not upset, but I would probably feel better if he realises now that he was wrong, after 15 years, after hearing the facts,” she told the New York Daily News after the comments re-emerged.
He later responded by calling it “one of the biggest regrets of my life”.