Culture

‘X-Men’ Director Bryan Singer Is Being Accused Of Raping A 17-Year-Old Boy

This isn't the first time he's faced allegations of sexual assault.

by Meg Watson  8 December 2017
Bryan Singer

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This article discusses sexual assault.

Days after being dropped as director from the upcoming Queen biopic, filmmaker Bryan Singer is being accused of raping a 17-year-old boy. A lawsuit has been filed today claiming Singer forced a teenager to perform oral sex before anally raping him. The incident is alleged to have happened at a party on a yacht owned by tech investor Lester Waters in 2003.

The alleged victim, Cesar Sanchez-Guzman, claims he has since been threatened to stay quiet about it. The claim documents state that Singer approached Guzman saying he could help with acting opportunities as long as he never said anything. The statement goes on: “He then told Cesar that no one would believe him if he ever reported the incident, and that he could hire people who are capable of ruining someone’s reputation.”

Singer hasn’t yet made comment on the accusations, though one of his reps has told TMZ, “The lawsuit was filed by the same lawyer who represented Michael Egan [a man who has previously accused Singer of assault]. Those claims were dismissed by Egan himself.”

As they point out, this isn’t the first time Singer has been accused of sexual assault. The aforementioned accusation came in the form of a 2014 civil lawsuit. Actor/model Michael Egan alleged Singer drugged and raped him at a party in the ’90s, and took court action against him and a number of other Hollywood execs. Egan was hit with massive backlash and the case fell apart; his lawyers called accusations against two of the other men “untrue and provably false”. Egan dropped the suit against Singer.

Singer has also fielded two other lawsuits. In 1997, a 14-year-old extra on his film Apt Pupil claimed the producer forced him to get naked. In 2014, an anonymous man accused him of sexual assault. The first case was thrown out due to lack of evidence, and the latter was withdrawn by the accuser. Singer vehemently denied both claims.

Bryan Singer has had an enormous career in Hollywood, directing The Usual Suspects, Superman Returns and most of the X-Men films. He was dismissed from his latest production Bohemian Rhapsody this week, after taking time off set for “a personal health matter”. There have been persisting reports of troubles on set, and Singer is known for being somewhat unreliable and difficult.

The news provoked much speculation and general criticism of the filmmaker. In a piece for The Guardian, Hadley Freeman wrote, “If there was one person in Hollywood who was the subject of more rumours over the past decade than Spacey, that person is Singer.”

It’s been a hell of a year for rumours turning into headlines.

Feature image: Dick Thomas Johnson/Flickr CC.

If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au. In an emergency, call 000.