Prison Break star Robert Knepper
Prison Break star Robert Knepper has been accused of sexual assault.
The Twin Peaks actor, 58, has denied allegations that he groped costume designer Susan Bertram while on the set of the 1992 film Gas Food Lodging.
It is the latest in a series of sexual allegations against Hollywood figures sparked by the downfall of Miramax boss Harvey Weinstein last month.
Ms Bertram claims the assault took place when she dropped off some clothes in Knepper’s trailer.
She told The Hollywood Reporter that the actor reached up her skirt and grabbed her crotch so hard that she was left bleeding.
She claims he then threw her against a wall and told her: ‘I’m going to f*** your brains out’ but she pushed him away and ran to a nearby bathroom.
Ms Bertram says she confided in her then-assistant Dominique Dubois but neither spoke to anyone else about the incident.
The costume designer told THR: ‘Even if I had said something, what were they going to do? Fire their lead actor?’
Ms Bertram said she had decided to come forward after news broke of the leaked ‘Access Hollywood’ tape which featured a 2005 conversation between Billy Bush and Donald Trump in which the future president made ‘lewd’ comments.
‘I kind of buried it for a long time until Trump came out with his “Grab ‘em by the p****” thing,’ she said. ‘When that happened, I started reeling.’
Several Hollywood figures including actors Kevin Spacey and Steven Seagal and directors James Toback and Brett Ratner have been caught up in allegations that have shook the showbusiness world.
The Twin Peaks actor, 58, has denied the sexual assault allegations against him
Knepper released a signed statement via his Instagram account in which he denied the claims
Following Ms Betram’s interview, Knepper released a signed statement via his Instagram account in which he denied her story.
He wrote: ‘Over the past few weeks, my wife and I have discussed the pain women have experienced and the bravery they have shown in coming forward.
‘I am shocked and devastated to be falsely accused of violence against a woman. That’s just not who I am.’