Ellen Page Says Brett Ratner 'Outed' And Harassed Her At Age 18

Amid claims of sexual misconduct by director Brett Ratner, actress Ellen Page claimed Friday that she was “outed” by the director and accused him of “blatantly homophobic and abusive behavior.” She also said she was sexually assaulted at age 16 by another director, who she did not name.

Page, 30, claimed that during a pre-production cast and crew “meet and greet” for “X-Men: The Last Stand,” which Ratner directed, he told a woman in front of a group that she should “fuck [Page] to make her realize she’s gay.” Page said she was 18 years old at the time and said the woman was ten years older.

“I was a young adult who had not yet come out to myself,” Page wrote in a lengthy Facebook post. “I knew I was gay, but did not know, so to speak. I felt violated when this happened. I looked down at my feet, didn’t say a word and watched as no one else did either. This man, who had cast me in the film, started our months of filming at a work event with this horrific, unchallenged plea. He ‘outed’ me with no regard for my well-being, an act we all recognize as homophobic. I proceeded to watch him on set say degrading things to women. I remember a woman walking by the monitor as he made a comment about her ‘flappy pussy.’”

Page went on to claim that she had an “altercation” with Ratner over him “pressuring” her in front of others to “don a t-shirt with ‘Team Ratner.’” Page reportedly responded, “I am not on your team,” and was later reprimanded by producers of the film for her response. She said the incident occurred after Ratner exhibited “blatantly homophobic and abusive behavior” toward Page that was witnessed by others.

The actress went on to describe an incident with another unnamed director when she 16 during which she was touched inappropriately, as well as an incident in which she was “asked by a director to sleep with a man in his late twenties and to tell them about it.”

“When I was sixteen a director took me to dinner (a professional obligation and a very common one). He fondled my leg under the table and said, ‘You have to make the move, I can’t,’” she wrote. “I did not make the move and I was fortunate to get away from that situation. It was a painful realization: my safety was not guaranteed at work. An adult authority figure for whom I worked intended to exploit me, physically. I was sexually assaulted by a grip months later. I was asked by a director to sleep with a man in his late twenties and to tell them about it. I did not. This is just what happened during my sixteenth year, a teenager in the entertainment industry.”

Addressing the claims of sexual assault that have been leveled against the some of the industry’s “titans” — including Bill Cosby, Harvey Weinstein and Roman Polanski — Page went on to say that she regretted working with another director who’s been accused of sexual abuse: Woody Allen.

“I did a Woody Allen movie and it is the biggest regret of my career,” Page wrote. “I am ashamed I did this. I had yet to find my voice and was not who I am now and felt pressured, because ‘of course you have to say yes to this Woody Allen film.’ Ultimately, however, it is my choice what films I decide to do and I made the wrong choice. I made an awful mistake.”

Page said that what she wanted was “to see these men have to face what they have done,” but added that her ultimate want was for “healing for the victims.”

Counting herself among those complicit in an “endemic issue,” Page wrote: “ This is a long awaited reckoning. It must be. It’s sad that 'codes of conduct' have to be enforced to ensure we experience fundamental human decency and respect. Inclusion and representation are the answer. We’ve learned that the status quo perpetuates unfair, victimizing behavior to protect and perpetuate itself. Don’t allow this behavior to be normalized.”

Read the post in full here.