Taron Egerton has revealed the powerful rise of Me Too has forced him to reconsider spending time alone with women for fear of being targeted with fabricated accusations of sexual assault.
Initially a viral movement, Me Too – a collective reaction to sexual harassment and assault, particularly in the workplace – gained traction following widespread allegations of abuse targeted at disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein and Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey.
Egerton, 29, worked with Spacey on disastrous box-office flop Billionaire Boys Club – a failure owed in no small measure to the American actor’s dramatic downfall, with the film taking just $126 in opening day receipts.
Cautious: Taron Egerton has revealed the powerful rise of Me Too has forced him to reconsider spending time alone with women for fear of being targeted with fabricated accusations of sexual assault
And the star admits the allegations aimed at Spacey – so far more than 30 men have filed accusations of abuse – has made him think seriously about whether or not he wants to actively date, and indeed his own sexual history as an actor with an increasingly public profile.
‘Like a lot of people with a profile I was like, “Holy s**t, what have I done since I was 18?”‘ Egerton, who last relationship was with TV producer Emily Thomas, told the Radio Times.
‘I have just become single again and I’m not in a place where I’m thinking about dating, but when I am, it will probably affect my thinking a bit. There are certainly situations where I avoid being alone with certain people.’
Previously: British star Egerton’s last relationship was with TV producer Emily Thomas
As Egerton’s star continue’s to rise Spacey has all but disappeared from public and professional life.
Indeed, his role in Ridley Scott’s All The Money In The World, in which he was originally cast as tycoon J. Paul Getty, was hastily recast and reshot with British actor Christopher Plummer as allegations against the star continued to multiply.
He was also fired from popular Netflix show House Of Cards, with bosses killing off his character Frank Underwood.
Controversy: The actor was speaking out after former co-star Kevin Spacey was accused of more than 30 counts of unwanted sexual advances
But Egerton admits he and Spacey remained in contact after they finished work on Billionaire Boys Club in 2017.
‘If I had been the subject of his advances, I don’t think that would have been the greatest challenge to deal with,’ he said.
‘I don’t think I would have felt rocked to the core by it. It’s weird because he and I had stayed in touch, he had asked me to socialise. When it all kicked off, I don’t think I was particularly surprised by it. It’s such a tricky, complicated and weird thing, it’s almost Greek [tragedy], isn’t it?’
He added: ‘He’s just gone now. Gone. We live in the age of the internet maelstrom and one tweet from an anonymous person can bring down a career.’