Actress Natasha Henstridge said it was fear that caused her to “submit” to an alleged sexual assault by Brett Ratner in the early 1990s — and fear that returned when she decided to name him publicly.
“I would be lying if I said I wasn’t afraid, on many levels, leading up to today,” the actress, who starred in hit movies “Species” and “The Whole Nine Yards,” told the Daily News Wednesday.
She said “the second” the Los Angeles Times reached out to Ratner and his lawyers to get their reaction ahead of the newspaper’s blockbuster exposé published Wednesday, a vague panic set in.
“I (started) looking over my shoulder,” she said. “I was on a hike, and I saw an SUV coming up. Without trying to sound too dramatic, I was checking to see who it was. Someone asked me if I was afraid it was paparazzi. I said, ‘No, I’m afraid it’s worse than paparazzi.'”
Henstridge, 43, spoke to The News shortly after The Times revealed an alleged pattern of predatory behavior by Ratner toward Henstridge and five other women, including actress Olivia Munn.
In the article, Henstridge said Ratner, one of Hollywood’s most successful directors and producers, physically blocked her from leaving his Manhattan apartment after a social gathering in the early 1990s.
She said he started to masturbate in front of her and “strong-armed” her into performing oral sex.
Speaking to The News, Henstridge said she struggled with the decision to step forward as a chief accuser for the article but eventually felt it was something she “had to do.”
“I had a powerful lawyer absolutely warn me it was probably not a good idea, but you wake up every day, and it doesn’t go away. You recognize the need to expose these people who you fear may be doing the same thing to other women. I couldn’t walk away,” she told The News.
Describing her own alleged attack, she said it took place in a building not far from where she lived near 22nd St. and Park Ave.
“I remember I ran home crying, so it was just within a few blocks,” she told The News.
She described falling asleep while watching TV with a group of friends at Ratner’s apartment and finding herself alone with the director when she woke up.
She said he refused to let her leave, exposed himself and overpowered her.
“People ask me why I didn’t fight. They think of me as a strong woman. ‘How could you not fight it off?’ But when you feel physically afraid of someone, and you’re not sure what they’re capable of, there’s a defense mechanism that kicks in, and you just submit,” Henstridge told The News.
She described feeling helpless and sad — and somehow responsible.
“At the time it happened, I was a model, living in that world where there was an emphasis on sex appeal and beauty, and as a kid, part of me felt I was deserving of what happened,” she told The News.
“In a dark, twisted way, I thought I had brought it on myself. I just buried it, put it away. I never considered going to the police,” she said.
Looking back, she said it’s impossible to know how her life might be different today if she never fell asleep on that couch.
“It’s like ‘Sliding Doors,'” she said, referring to a 1998 Gwyneth Paltrow movie that explored how the single event of catching a train — or not — could significantly alter a person’s life.
“I don’t know how different I would be today — less hardened, less jaded, more trusting, all those things — if it never happened,” she said.
Speaking to The Times, Ratner’s lawyer Marty Singer said the director “categorically” disputed any allegations of abuse.
“I have represented Mr. Ratner for two decades, and no woman has ever made a claim against him for sexual misconduct or sexual harassment,” Singer told The Times. “Furthermore, no woman has ever requested or received any financial settlement from my client.”
Henstridge said she took no pleasure in asserting her accusations against Ratner, 48.
“When I see a man taken down, I don’t jump for joy,” she said.
“For weeks, I struggled with speaking up. Then at one point, I thought (the article) wasn’t going to come out because of legal pressure. And as afraid as I was, I then felt more afraid it wouldn’t publish. So I’m feeling relieved in that way,” she said Wednesday.
“There’s still some fear,” she said, but overall, the experience has been “cathartic.”
“I’m sure I will get to that place of peace eventually,” she said. “I’m so grateful (to the other accusers). It helps you realize you’re not the only one. And there is power in numbers.”
