Annabella Sciorra accuses Harvey Weinstein of rape

Annabella Sciorra was encouraged to come forward by her friend actress Rosie Perez to accuse Harvey Weinstein of raping her 20 years ago.

The 57-year-old, who had roles in Cop Land and The Hand That Rocks The Cradle, made the allegation in a new expose in The New Yorker on Friday (27Oct17).

Sciorra, Daryl Hannah and Ellen Barkin spoke to the publication about their harrowing encounters with the powerful movie producer, who has been disgraced after countless allegations against him of sexual assault and harassment.

The Italian-American actress said she struggled to speak about Weinstein for more than 20 years, but her friend Rosie Perez encouraged her to come forward.

Sciorra said the movie mogul forced himself on her after barging his way into her apartment after dropping her off. "He shoved me onto the bed, and he got on top of me,” she said of Weinstein, who allegedly locked her arms over her head with one hand and forced sexual intercourse on her.

“Then he attempted to perform oral sex on me. And I struggled, but I had very little strength left in me,” Sciorra also claimed.

Hannah also recalled two incidents with Weinstein to The New Yorker, alleging he once "pounded on her hotel room door until she, in one case, escaped out a back entrance.” She said he also asked her if “he could touch her breast" in a separate incident.

“I feel a moral obligation to support the women who have suffered much more egregious transgressions,” Hannah said, later admitting she “experienced instant repercussions” for rejecting his sexual advances.

“It’s one of those things your body has to adjust to. You get dragged into the gutter of nastiness and pettiness and shame and all of these things, and it sometimes seems healthier and wiser to just move on with your life and not allow yourself to be re-victimized," the Kill Bill star added.

Sallie Hofmeister, a spokesperson for Weinstein, issued a statement in response to the allegations by Sciorra and Hannah. “Mr. Weinstein unequivocally denies any allegations of non-consensual sex."

While Barkin was never sexually assaulted by Weinstein, she said he “frequently verbally abused” her.

"The repercussions are real," she explained. "I was terrified Harvey was going to make it impossible to go back to work, with those tentacles of his. This fear of losing your career is not losing your ticket to a borrowed dress and earrings someone paid you to wear. It’s losing your ability to support yourself, to support your family, and this is f**king real whether you are the biggest or movie star or the lowest-pay-grade assistant.”