Amidst the current wave of sexual assault cases against Hollywood stars, it now seems that allegations are affecting people across the waters. The latest to be hit by allegations is Australian actor Geoffrey Rush. Veteran actor Rush is one of the few actors to have the honor of winning the ‘Triple Crown of Acting’. This is because he has won an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Tony Award. Some of the films for which he is best-known are ‘Shine’, ‘Shakespeare in Love’, ‘Quills’, The King’s Speech’, and ‘The Life and Death of Peter Sellers’. He is also known for playing the role of Captain Barbossa in the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ series of films.
In addition to his acting work, Rush is known as being the founding President of the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts. This is a role he has now been forced to resign from ahead of the upcoming annual awards ceremony as a result of the allegations made against him. A theatre company has apparently received a complaint about Rush’s inappropriate behavior. The allegation relates to an incident that allegedly took place two years ago while Rush was appearing in the starring role in a stage production of Shakespeare’s ‘King Lear’.
Rush has made a statement informing people that he is stepping down as the President of the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts. The awards ceremony will take place on Wednesday, December 06, 2017, and will be televised. In the statement, made through his lawyer Nicholas Pullen, Rush has described the allegations as untenable and feels they will affect his standing in the entertainment community. He has said it would be unreasonable to expect his colleagues to become associated with these allegations in any way and that this was the reason why he had chosen to step down from his position.
He has said that he is standing down until the matter has been resolved, thus hinting that he intends to resume the role of President when, and if, he clears his name. He has stated that he believes that this decision is best for all those concerned and will reduce the impact on his colleagues.
In response to Rush stepping down, the AACTA have accepted and respected his decision. They have also released a statement in relation to the matter. They expressed their concern about the situation and said they respected the actor’s rights to the presumption of innocence. They also said it was important that there was good governance of the situation before stating they would be making no further comments in relation to the matter at this time.
The theatre company who received the complaint is The Sydney Theatre Company and Rush has performed there for over 35 years. The theatre company have not released any information regarding the allegations made and has respected the confidentiality of all parties. The person who has made the allegation requested that Rush was not involved in the investigation. According to media reports published in Australia, there are allegations dating from 2015 to 2016.
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