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| Geoffrey Rush |
Geoffrey Rush 'virtually housebound and barely eating', claim actor's lawyers
Legal document says veteran actor ‘wakes up every morning with a terrible sense of dread about his future career’
Apr 9, 2018
Geoffrey Rush is virtually housebound and scarcely eats after a Sydney newspaper claimed he took part in inappropriate behaviour at a theatre, according to the actor’s lawyer.
The Oscar-winning actor is suing Sydney’s Daily Telegraph and the journalist Jonathon Moran for defamation over articles alleging he behaved inappropriately to a colleague during a Sydney Theatre Company production of King Lear in 2015.
The Australian stage and screen veteran has endured “tremendous emotional and social hardship” since the paper’s coverage in 2017, according to an affidavit by Rush’s solicitor which was filed in the federal court in Sydney on Monday.
Rush, who won an Oscar for Best Actor for playing concert pianist David Helfgott in Shine, has denied any wrongdoing.
Rush was “virtually housebound” and in the first three months after the publication “rarely left his home”, according to the legal document.
It added that he “feels uncomfortable when in public and will rarely attend public events”, “barely eats”, and “wakes up every morning with a terrible sense of dread about his future career”.
It also said the actor, who starred in Pirates of the Caribbean and The King’s Speech, suffers from loss of sleep and deems his worth to the theatre and film industry is “now irreparably damaged”.
The affidavit said that as a direct result of the report, which prompted global headlines, Rush found he was “constantly associated” locally and internationally with the global #MeToo movement against sexual assault.
The hashtag was created by civil rights activist Tarana Burke a decade ago in an attempt to support sexual assault survivors in disadvantaged communities but exploded after the Harvey Weinstein allegations surfaced last autumn.
Rush stepped down as president of the film industry organisation Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts which he had led for several years after the allegations against him were published.
The Telegraph denies the articles depicted Rush as a pervert and a predator and submits that no allegations of a sexual nature were made.
The News Corp tabloid has said previously it accurately reported the alleged complaint against the actor and would seek to defend the case in court.
Rush, one of the few stars to have won what is known as the “Triple Crown of Acting” – Academy Award, Emmy Award and Tony Award – has also worked extensively in theatre.
In 1996 he became the first actor to win the Oscar, Bafta, Critics’ Choice Movie Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award for a single performance in film for his role in Shine.
The Independent contacted a representative of Rush for comment.
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