An exposé published in the Los Angeles Times over the weekend that revealed more than 30 woman had experienced sexual harassment and in some cases assault at the hands of director James Toback has inspired over 200 more victims to come forward with their stories.
Among them are the actress Julianne Moore and former ‘Today’ host Natalie Morales, who shared her story on ‘Access Hollywood.’
There are now over 300 women making allegations against the 72-year-old Oscar nominee.
These accusers have also been reaching out to authorities, with the Los Angeles Police Department fielding complaints ahead of a possible investigation and the Manhattan District Attorney’s office encouraging women to contact the sex crimes hotline number.
Moore revealed on Twitter that she ran into Toback early in her career while walking home in New York City, claiming he tried to pick her up twice.
Morales added her voice to the chorus Monday afternoon in response to a tweet from journalist Glenn Whipp, who broke the story, writing: ‘Glenn add one more. Exact same playbook by James Toback when I encountered him near Central Park.’
Victims: Julianne Moore (above on Saturday) and Natalie Morales are accusing James Toback of sexual harassment
Speaking out: More than 200 women have come forward in the day since a Los Angeles Times expose revealed 38 of the directors alleged victims (Morales above)
Moore also revealed that she was a victim of Toback’s on social media, after the actress spent the weekend discussing the Harvey Weinstein scandal while promoting her new film, ‘Suburbicon’ alongside Matt Damon and George Clooney.
‘1. #JamesToback approached me in the 80’s on Columbus Ave with the same language – wanted me to audition, come to his apt,’ wrote Moore.
‘2. I refused. One month later he did it again with the EXACT same language. I said don’t u remember u did this before?’
Morales told a much more in depth version of her encounter on ‘Access Hollywood’ after airing a clip from her sit-down interview with Matt Damon and Julianne Moore about disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein.
‘I can personally speak from my own experience, I was in New York City about 25, 26 years old at the time, and I encountered him,’ Morales said of running into Toback.
‘He came up to me. I was coming home from work in Central Park.’
That tale lines up with the accounts given by many in the initial Times story, who said they too were approached by Toback in Central Park.
‘Out of nowhere: “Hey, I’m a filmmaker, has anybody told you you have that look,”‘ said Morales, who was working at Court TV at the time.
‘I’m like, “yeah, bud.” He then proceeds to pull out a manila envelope and he says: “Seriously, I’m a filmmaker.”
Morales then added: ‘He had “Variety” or “Hollywood Reporter,” and he had a screenplay about Bugsy.’
She said that at that point she started to listen to what he was saying as he had at least proven himself to be in the film industry.
‘So I’m in Central Park, doing my walk, and he follows me in. I’m like, there are thousands of people here. Nothing to be concerned about,’ said Morales.
‘He’s like, “No I’m writing a screenplay right now for this movie called Two Girls and a Guy,” which he then went on to produce.’
That film ended up starring Heather Graham, Natasha Gregson Wagner and Robert Downey Jr.
‘Then he starts – let’s just put it this way, he makes it very clear with the conversation, as I’m walking and he’s walking along, that he wants to get me into a secluded area of the park, which I did not go there,’ said Morales.
‘He also proceeded to say if you want to be in the movies, you have to be willing to show yourself.’
That was the final straw for Morales.
‘I’m like, I’m leaving right now. I don’t want to be in the movies. I just want to make money, have a career. I left, she said of how they encounter came to an end.
‘Let’s just say, after that, I was very grateful. Grateful that I left. But think of all the women who were seduced and many who have come forward and say they were seduced by that.’
Morales then shared a very powerful message to other women who have encountered a man like Toback.
‘I want to say all to the women, don’t blame themselves,’ said Morales.
‘You’re going about your day, he approaches you. You didn’t ask or want any of this.’
Speaking out: More than 200 women have come forward in the day since a Los Angeles Times expose revealed 38 of the directors alleged victims (Toback above)
Repeat victim: Moore said that she was walking home in the late eighties in Manhattan when Toback tried to get her to audition for him at his apartment – twice (above)
She then admitted that her now-husband made her feel partially to blame when she told him about the incident.
‘I told him not the full extent, but I told him at the time, I’m like: “This guy came onto me in this way,”‘ revealed Morales.
‘He was like, “why would you …” and I felt like, was I to blame? I was going in the park. Why would I continue to walk in the park?’
She later explained: ‘But you start second-guessing yourself. That is wrong. All these women are coming forward. It’s wrong to second-guess what you were thinking. I wasn’t doing anything wrong. I was living my life, trying to make a career. I thought, this guy is legitimate. Maybe I could be an extra. All I wanted was $100 on a side gig.’
Morales also said that Toback seemed to have a definite type in mind while roaming the park.
‘He was clearly trolling around Central Park looking for women that fit that role, that bill of being in their twenties and young and innocent,’ said Morales.
‘That was me to the “T.” Not funny but when we were talking about this last week, we were talking about the Harvey Weinstein scandal, I mentioned it during our morning meeting, I mentioned his name, not realizing this weekend I would be reading the dozens of names saying, this happened to me, too.’
In the report published over the weekend, many of the women allege that Toback approached them on the streets of New York City and promised stardom.
His meetings would often end with sexual questions and Toback masturbating in front of them or simulating sexual intercourse with them, according to the accounts.
The 72-year-old denied the allegations, saying he never met any of the women, or if he had it ‘was for five minutes and (I) have no recollection.’
Thirty-one of the women spoke on the record including Louise Post, who is a guitarist and vocalist for the band Veruca Salt, and As the World Turns actress Terri Conn.
Actress Echo Danon recalled an incident on the set of his film Black and White where Toback put his hands on her and said that he would ejaculate if she looked at his eyes and pinched his nipples.
‘Everyone wants to work, so they put up with it,’ said Danon.
‘That’s why I put up with it. Because I was hoping to get another job.’
Speaking up: ‘I want to say all to the women, don’t blame themselves. ‘You’re going about your day, he approaches you. You didn’t ask or want any of this,’ said Morales (above with her husband and twp sons)
Toback has had a successful four-decade career in Hollywood and has a devoted following who have praised him for his originality and outsized, deeply flawed characters.
A New York native, Harvard graduate, creative writing professor and compulsive gambler, Toback used his own life as inspiration for his first produced screenplay, ‘The Gambler,’ which came out in 1974 and starred James Caan.
The film was remade in 2014 with Mark Walhberg and Brie Larson.
His one and only Oscar nomination is for writing the Barry Levinson-directed and Warren Beatty-starring Bugsy.
Toback’s upcoming film, The Private Life of a Modern Woman, stars Sienna Miller and Alec Baldwin and debuted at the Venice Film Festival earlier this year.
Like Weinstein, reports of Toback’s alleged behavior toward women have been around for decades.
But in the past few weeks, amid the Weinstein scandal and the rise of the #MeToo social media movement, in which women are revealing instances of sexual harassment and assault, more reports have emerged about the conduct of many working in the entertainment industry.
On Sunday, a few in Hollywood began denouncing Toback on social media, including director Paul Feig, who tweeted that Toback ‘is a disgrace.’
‘One of the main jobs of a director is to create a safe environment for the actors,’ wrote Feig.
Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson added: ‘If there is a Hell, James Toback will be in it.’
And Guradians of the Galaxy director James Gunn said that he has personally met at least 15 women who have said they had these kinds of encounters with Toback, including three women he has dated, two friends and a family member.
‘For over twenty years now, I’ve been bringing up James Toback every chance I could in groups of people,’ wrote Gunn on Facebook.
‘I couldn’t stop him, but I could warn people about him.’