HTGAWM Actress Karla Souza Says She Was Raped By An Unnamed Director

While the #MeToo movement spread across the U.S. like wildfire, prompting initiatives like Time's Up, countries like Mexico have not experienced the same reckoning. That's why it's so powerful that How To Get Away With Murder actress Karla Souza is speaking out about abuse she says she experienced at the hands of an unnamed director. Speaking to CNN en Español, Souza recounts an experience she had working on a project with a "charismatic" director who "is doing very well in his career."

While working with this director, the Mexican actress says she was put in a hotel away from the rest of the cast with this director. In one instance, she says the director showed up in her room at two a.m. to talk about a scene.

"He enters the room and does not leave the room," she told journalist Carmen Aristegui. "He made me feel special, in a way." Then he began touching her.

Souza said that if she was not receptive to his advances, he would "punish" her the next day by blocking or cutting scenes. However, when she let him touch her, he would suddenly become charming and send her sweet messages. Souza said that when fellow cast members found out about the director's interest in her, she was praised for "taming the wolf."

"He attacked me violently and he raped me. It's hard for me to say this because I still have not..." she said, trailing off with tears in her eyes. You can watch the full interview over here.

Aside from Souza, Kate del Castillo is one of the only other Mexican actresses to go public about abuse. In a video for Real Women Real Stories in 2017, Castillo detailed the alleged abuse she experienced at the hands of a former spouse (Luis García Postigo).

In the U.S., an overwhelming number of women have come forward with similar stories following the first accusations of sexual misconduct against producer Harvey Weinstein in October 2017, detailed in The New York Times.

Refinery29 has reached out to Souza for additional comment.