Dustin Hoffman accused of sexual harassment again

Veteran actor Dustin Hoffman has yet again been accused of sexual harassment. This time actress Kathryn Rossetter has alleged that Hoffman groped her repeatedly while they worked together on "Death of a Salesman".

Rossetter recounted a number of alleged incidents, which also included Hoffman pulling up her clothing offstage and exposing her body to crew members, reports hollywoodreporter.com.

Earlier this week, the actor was questioned about his alleged behaviour by comedian John Oliver during a panel discussion.

Rossetter detailed the incident saying: "One night he actually started to stick his fingers inside me. Night after night I went home and cried... How could the same man who fought to get me the job, who complimented my work, who essentially launched my career, who gave me the benefit of his wisdom as an actor, how could he also be this sexual power abuser?"

The actress claims that whenever photographs were taken of the pair, he would grab her breasts just before and then quickly remove it.

"I tried to laugh it off, smack him and say witty, pointed things. I begged him nicely with tears in my eyes to please stop it. To no avail," she said.

Rossetter claims that after telling other crew members, she was ignored. She also chose not to report him to the Actors Equity union after theatre professionals warned her that it could affect her career.

It's the latest claim against the actor following a column by the author Anna Graham Hunter, who alleged that he sexually harassed her when she was 17. Hoffman initially responded to her story, apologising for what he had done.

"I have the utmost respect for women and feel terrible that anything I might have done could have put her in an uncomfortable situation," he said.

"I am sorry. It is not reflective of who I am."

--IANS

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