Selma Blair says Hollywood director threatened to 'gouge' her eyes out if she exposed his alleged misconduct
Selma Blair says Hollywood director threatened to 'gouge' her eyes out if she exposed his alleged misconduct
is revisiting a terrifying encounter with a Hollywood director who she says threatened her into silence after allegedly pressuring her to undress early on in her career.
During an appearance on "The Jenny McCarthy Show," the "Cruel Intentions" actress — who filmed the podcast episode prior to her arrest this month — opened up about her alleged experience with filmmaker James Toback, recalling how the Oscar-nominated screenwriter left her fearful for her life.
"He really put the fear of God in me in my early 20s," Blair told McCarthy, describing Toback as "really, really scary."
'TEACHER'S PET' STAR MAMIE VAN DOREN SAYS SHE FELT 'USED' AS YOUNG ACTRESS NAVIGATING HOLLYWOOD'S DARK SIDE
Blair recalled an alleged encounter in which Toback pressured her to remove her clothes while performing a monologue, presenting the request as part of her acting development.
"I took my clothes off," Blair recalled. "It was horrifying."
She said Toback instructed her to "do the monologue naked," despite her discomfort.
"I was really uncomfortable," Blair said. "It was really traumatic."
Blair explained that she initially believed the director was trying to improve her acting abilities, rather than making a sexual advance.
"I was scared, and I was a people pleaser," she admitted.
'BLUE BLOODS' STAR JENNIFER ESPOSITO SAYS SHE WALKED AWAY FROM HOLLYWOOD AFTER YEARS OF REJECTION AND ABUSE
The actress said Toback later made disparaging remarks about her appearance, including comments about her hips.
"How dare you? Like, how are you going to make someone feel bad?" Blair recalled thinking.
She also described an alleged threat that she said prevented her from speaking publicly about the experience for years.
"He said, 'You know, if you ever tell a soul, I'll gouge your eyes out with a Bic pen.' And I believed it and I kept quiet."
Blair's allegations were among those examined in a 2017 Los Angeles Times investigation by reporter Glenn Whipp, which initially detailed sexual harassment accusations from 38 women against Toback.
The women described encounters in which the filmmaker allegedly used promises of to initiate sexually inappropriate interactions.
Blair was initially an anonymous source in the investigation. As additional women came forward, the number of accusers grew to more than 300, according to subsequent reporting by the Los Angeles Times.
Blair said she ultimately decided to publicly identify herself after learning that Toback had disputed the women's accounts.
"When I found out he called all these women liars ... I was like, oh no, I can't stand for that," Blair told McCarthy.
"I will no longer be anonymous because he's not going to do that."
In October 2017, Blair and fellow actress Rachel McAdams publicly detailed their allegations against Toback in a Vanity Fair interview.
Toback denied the sexual misconduct allegations reported by the Los Angeles Times at the




















