Hollywood star Jeremy Renner has finally responded after filmmaker Yi Zhou publicly accused him of harassment and inappropriate behaviour during their "brief professional and personal association earlier this year." The Marvel actor has denied all the allegations and called it "totally inaccurate and untrue."
The 37-year-old filmmaker went public on Monday and shared multiple posts on her Instagram. She accused Renner of sending “unsolicited pornographic images” via direct messages and WhatsApp in June. Zhou also used hashtags like #Cancel and #CancelJeremyRenner, and claimed that their communication later turned personal and that she was “seduced” into believing that he cared for her.
As reported by Variety, a representative for Renner said, "The allegations being made are totally inaccurate and untrue." The actor's lawyer, Marty Singer, later told People that the claims are "false, outrageous, and highly defamatory." He further alleged that the filmmaker is agitated because Renner “rejected her romantic advances” and denied promoting her projects on his social media.
The report further stated that Zhou had been "relentlessly harassing" Renner with several unwanted messages, and the actor had stopped talking to her for over a month.
According to the posts Yi Zhou shared on social media, things went wrong during a meeting on August 20. She alleges that Renner drank a whole “bottle of wine" and turned violent, which forced her to lock herself in a room "out of fear." Currently, she is directing a documentary titled Chronicles of Disney.
As per a Daily Mail report, Zhou stated that the actor had been “threatening to call immigration/ICE” on her after she confronted Renner about his unwanted actions. She further alleged that the experience she had showed "the dark side of Hollywood," and she felt targeted by "smear fan campaigns" set to silence her.
However, despite the backlash, Zhou said she has received support from friends and industry colleagues.
As per reports, before the controversy began, Renner and Zhou were working together on multiple projects. The Marvel actor was seen in interviews for Chronicles of Disney and was selected to voice in Zhou’s upcoming AI animated feature Stardust Future: Stars and Scars.
According to a Variety report, producers had already planned an awards-qualifying theatrical release in November, with part of the proceeds benefiting Renner’s charity, the RennerVation Foundation. However, after this controversy, the status of both projects remains unclear.
Interestingly, this isn’t the first time Jeremy Renner has been a part of a personal controversy. Earlier, the actor publicly opened up about the abuse allegations made by his ex-wife, and said "truth gets lost" when disputes become public. (Agencies)
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