Harvey Weinstein victim goes public
Russian-born model and actress Evgeniya Chernyshova, known as Jane Doe 1, says she ‘wants her life back’
‘Jane Doe 1’, the woman raped by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein in a Los Angeles hotel room in 2013, has revealed herself as Russian-born model-actress Evgeniya Chernyshova after the disgraced mogul was sentenced to an additional 16 years for sexually assaulting her. She told the Hollywood Reporter on Friday that she was “tired of hiding” and “want[ed] her life back.”
Chernyshova encountered the producer when he introduced himself at the Los Angeles Italia Film Festival in 2013, having met him once briefly in Italy. After returning to her hotel, she said she was surprised to receive a call from the front desk saying that Weinstein was downstairs, and attempted to send him away.
He materialized at her door anyway, she recalled, loudly demanding her attention while reassuring her, “I’m not going to f**k you, I just have to talk to you.” Embarrassed, she opened the door – a decision she said she has regretted ever since. While she tried to fend him off by showing him her wedding ring and photos of her children, he repeatedly assaulted her, leaving with a promise to send her event tickets.
After the rape, Chernyshova said she became extremely depressed and divorced her husband. She reported the assault to police only after her 16-year-old daughter confessed that she had also been sexually assaulted in 2017. Just weeks later, the actress saw stories in the media featuring allegations about Weinstein similar to her own. She came forward anonymously, she said, because she was “ashamed and humiliated” and wanted to protect her children.
Chernyshova’s October testimony – a three-day ordeal she called “the worst experience of my life” – led to the mogul’s conviction in December on charges of forcible rape, forcible oral copulation, and penetration by a foreign object. She was the only one of the four victims whose case resulted in charges in Los Angeles that secured a guilty verdict.
The 16 years Weinstein received for raping Chernyshova will be added to the 23-year sentence he is already serving in New York, almost guaranteeing that the 70-year-old producer will die in prison.
Weinstein has continued to maintain his innocence, calling the Siberian-born actress’ testimony a “made-up story” during his sentencing hearing on Thursday. “Jane Doe 1 is an actress, and she turned the tears on,” he said.
“I will live with this for the rest of my life. So should he,” Chernyshova told the court in her victim’s statement.
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