Thandiwe Newton has said she was “derailed” and “traumatised” after being abused as a young actress.
The Westworld star, 48, told British Vogue she had “a kind of PTSD for sure” after the incident when she was 16 years old.
She has previously spoken frankly about experiences of harassment and abuse during her years in the industry.
Newton told British Vogue: “There’s a moment where the ghost of me changed, you know.
“And it was then, it was 16. He derailed me from myself utterly.
“I was traumatised. It was a kind of PTSD for sure.
“I was so distraught and appalled that a director had abused a young actress, and that it was happening elsewhere, minors getting abused and how f**** up it was.
“I was basically waiting for someone to come along and say, ‘Well, what shall we do about this?'”
She added she has a “seventh sense for abuse and abusers, which I believe is one of the reasons why I was rejected a lot in Hollywood”.
Newton said: “I’ll talk about it until the cows come home, because I know I’ll be helping someone.”
The actress also said that acting used to be a form of escapism for her.
“I find that acting takes more and more away from me, because I’m more connected to myself than I’ve ever been, whereas before I was delighted to get an excuse to go off to another personality,” she said.
“I couldn’t wait to get away from myself, truly, I had such low self-esteem.
“Acting was where I felt whole.”
Newton also told the magazine her future films will be credited to the name Thandiwe, rather than Thandie as they have been in the past.
“That’s my name. It’s always been my name. I’m taking back what’s mine,” she said.
See the full feature in the May issue of British Vogue available via digital download and on newsstands on Friday.
