Disney Channel Star Says Director Accused Her Of Sexual Harassment When She Was 10
A director accused Bella Thorne of sexual harassment when she was 10 years old.
Bella Thorne has been acting and modeling most of her life but landing a role on the Disney Channel series Shake It Up, alongside Zendaya, is what really catapulted her to stardom. According to Deadline, the 25-year-old actress recently appeared on Emily Ratajkowski’s podcast High Low with EmRata, where the two discussed the sexualization of young girls working in Hollywood. The sore subject had Throne recounting a moment when she was just 10 years old, where she claimed she lost out on an acting gig after being accused of flirting with an unnamed casting director.
“I had a director give me feedback once and I was 10,” said Bella Thorne. She alleged that after the audition, the casting director phoned her agent and then her mother to explain that he would not be moving forward with the actress because he felt like she attempted to come on to him. Understandably, the young star became angry while discussing the incident on Emily Ratajkowski’s program, insisting that even if she was “flirting with him,” she was only 10 years old.
15 years later, Bella Thorne said she relives the shocking moment “every day.” She admitted to constantly questioning herself about her actions toward the director, wondering what she could have possibly done to make him feel so uncomfortable. Even though she reminds herself daily that she was “not the problem,” she still places blame on herself for the way things unfolded following the audition.
After Bella Thorne recounted the incident, Emily Ratajkowski offered her some words of support. She urged the former Disney star to forgive herself because she was just a child at the time. The Gone Girl actress also noted that she hopes the casting director, whom Thorne did not identity, “rots in hell.”
The interview with Emily Ratajkowski comes five years after Bella Thorne shared that she was sexually abused at a young age. Initially, she revealed that she was abused in a response to a user’s comment on Twitter in 2017, but she opened up about the traumatizing experience on Instagram a month later. She revealed that she was sexually and physically abused from as far back as she could remember until she was 14 years old.
“I was sexually abused and physically growing up from the day I can remember till I was 14…when I finally had the courage to lock my door at night and sit by it,” Bella Thorne wrote in her post. She added, “All damn night. Waiting for someone to take advantage of my life again.” Luckily, the abuse finally ended for the actress, but she acknowledged that some people aren’t as fortunate.
These days, Bella Thorne is still extremely active in Hollywood. This year, she appeared in multiple projects including Measure of Revenge, Stacked Against You, Game of Love, and American Horror Stories. She’s also credited as the female lead in the music video for Oliver Tree’s hit single entitled “Cowboys Don’t Lie.”
Up next, Bella Thorne is set to star alongside Rebecca De Mornay, Ryan Phillipe, Frank Whaley, and Erica Sasher in the horror comedy Saint Clare. The Mitzi Peirone-directed picture centers on a quiet catholic college student with a divine vocation for killing. The project is currently in post-production and expected to release sometime next year.
Further out, the busy actress will appear in next year’s Divinity, which is being helmed by Eddie Alcazar. In addition to Bella Thorne, the feature stars Stephen Dorff, Scott Bakula, Moises Arias, and Michael O’Hearn. The story follows two mysterious brothers, who abduct a mogul during his quest for immortality.
