Author Gore Vidal says he refuses to feel any sympathy for Roman Polanski’s rape victim, whom he dubs a “hooker.”
In an interview with The Atlantic, the controversial 83-year-old author of such books as “Myra Breckinridge” and “1876” says of the director’s sex scandal, “I really don’t give a [expletive]. Look am I going to sit and weep every time a young hooker feels as though she’s being taken advantage of?”
The young woman to whom he is referring is Samantha Geimer, who was a 13-year-old aspiring model in 1977 when she was drugged and raped by Polanski.
Vidal went on to say that the media pushed an inaccurate image of Geimer, painting her as an innocent victim as opposed to what he believes to be her true identity.
“I was in the middle of all that,” he says of the scandal. “Back then, we all were. Everybody knew everybody else. There was a totally different story at the time that doesn’t resemble anything that we’re now being told.”
Worse, Vidal claims that it is the media’s vehement “anti-Semitic and anti-fag thing” that led to the persecution of Polanski, who is Jewish and was born in Poland.
“The media can’t get anything straight … The idea that this girl was in her communion dress, a little angel all in white, being raped by this awful Jew, ‘Polacko’ – that’s what people were calling him – well, the story is totally different now from what it was then … Anti-Semitism got poor Polanski.”
Polanski, now 76, was arrested in Switzerland last month and is pending extradition. He has been living in France since he fled the U.S. in 1978, a year after pleading guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with an underage girl.
The director of such classic films as "Chinatown" and "Rosemary's Baby" has asked a U.S. appeals court in California to overturn a judges' refusal to throw out his case. He claims misconduct by the now-deceased judge who had arranged a plea bargain and then reneged on it.
Just three days ago, Geimer, now 46, asked the court to drop all charges against the director, claiming that the unwanted publicity has harmed her health, work and family.
Pedophiles and rapists always blame the victim! She was 13, a child! rape is rape no matter what age, or background of the victim. I wish old pervy men like him would have to suffer through what the girl did, maybe then he would understand just how horrific rape really is. This old perv, Gore,is disgusting.
Golly, blame the victim much? I don't recall ever seeing any "barely teenage" hookers around in the 1970's. I must have been hanging with the "wrong" crowd.
Were I the woman in question I'd have Gore Vidal (what is it with the name Gore?) in front of a civil court for defamation of character, etc, as soon as possible.
It's amazing the failings celebrities will forgive among themselves!! As long as the celebrity isn't a republican anyway :-)
This is disgusting. Why would anyone want to interview Vidal anyway? I don't care about his opinion. Hollywood has gone to hell. They think they can do what every they want at anytime and expect us to still support them. They are just like our Government they get paid way to much do absolutely nothing. The worst part is that these people are influencing kids. HELLO Polanski plead GUILTY then he ran? I have NO use for anyone who supports him.
C'mon, it wasn't rape, rape. I know that because Whoopi told me so and she's on TV. Right?
These "Hollywood elite" make me sick. Circulating a petition for this scumbag. He's a pedophile and a rapist. And Vidal is a disgusting piece of trash for these comments.
What a pathetic old goat! It is very clear that this guy has a lot of dirt in his pass.
A man in who has sex with a 13 year old girl (hooker or not) has broken the law. So if some man who was almost 40 wanted to have sex with his 13 old daughter or grand daughter he would be "ok" with that? What a pathetic disgusting old man!
So don't hand me this "Anti-jew" thing? Typical, when in doubt play a race card to deflect a hard truth. Oh yeah OJ was innocent because he was black too. IDIOT!
Gore Vidal does not get it. Even if she was a hooker it was rape. As a kid she can not give consent, it is still rape under the law. Not to mention if he was a decent human being he would have been trying to help the victim back then, not victimize her. He either wants the attention or he did the same kind of things to underage girls when he was young.
These Anti-Semitism claims are wearing thin. Polanski is a pedophile. He should be in prison. To call a 13 year old girl a hooker is unbelievable. What a piece of pure scum
Gore Vidal is.
No, we don't have our moments when we condemn raping a 13 year-old gil. Why wouldn't you want him to be judged as being someone who supports a pedophile? I think being a pedophile or supporting one trumps anything else you could say, or do, or write. I, for one, am very glad he revealed who he really is. A sick old man who calls a young girl a hooker. Do you honestly think a young underage girl should be blamed for being raped?
What does being Jewish have to do with any of this? Polanski is a child rapist who skipped out of the country rather than face up to the consequences of what he had done. His age, religion, national origin or directorial talent are of no consequence here. He should return to America at once to face the music.
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Tiffany
Pedophiles and rapists always blame the victim! She was 13, a child! rape is rape no matter what age, or background of the victim. I wish old pervy men like him would have to suffer through what the girl did, maybe then he would understand just how horrific rape really is. This old perv, Gore,is disgusting.
Steve
Golly, blame the victim much? I don't recall ever seeing any "barely teenage" hookers around in the 1970's. I must have been hanging with the "wrong" crowd. Were I the woman in question I'd have Gore Vidal (what is it with the name Gore?) in front of a civil court for defamation of character, etc, as soon as possible. It's amazing the failings celebrities will forgive among themselves!! As long as the celebrity isn't a republican anyway :-)
bobbie
This is disgusting. Why would anyone want to interview Vidal anyway? I don't care about his opinion. Hollywood has gone to hell. They think they can do what every they want at anytime and expect us to still support them. They are just like our Government they get paid way to much do absolutely nothing. The worst part is that these people are influencing kids. HELLO Polanski plead GUILTY then he ran? I have NO use for anyone who supports him.
Brad
C'mon, it wasn't rape, rape. I know that because Whoopi told me so and she's on TV. Right? These "Hollywood elite" make me sick. Circulating a petition for this scumbag. He's a pedophile and a rapist. And Vidal is a disgusting piece of trash for these comments.
Frank
What a pathetic old goat! It is very clear that this guy has a lot of dirt in his pass. A man in who has sex with a 13 year old girl (hooker or not) has broken the law. So if some man who was almost 40 wanted to have sex with his 13 old daughter or grand daughter he would be "ok" with that? What a pathetic disgusting old man! So don't hand me this "Anti-jew" thing? Typical, when in doubt play a race card to deflect a hard truth. Oh yeah OJ was innocent because he was black too. IDIOT!
Wrong
Gore Vidal does not get it. Even if she was a hooker it was rape. As a kid she can not give consent, it is still rape under the law. Not to mention if he was a decent human being he would have been trying to help the victim back then, not victimize her. He either wants the attention or he did the same kind of things to underage girls when he was young.
J Schiely
These Anti-Semitism claims are wearing thin. Polanski is a pedophile. He should be in prison. To call a 13 year old girl a hooker is unbelievable. What a piece of pure scum Gore Vidal is.
Patricia
No, we don't have our moments when we condemn raping a 13 year-old gil. Why wouldn't you want him to be judged as being someone who supports a pedophile? I think being a pedophile or supporting one trumps anything else you could say, or do, or write. I, for one, am very glad he revealed who he really is. A sick old man who calls a young girl a hooker. Do you honestly think a young underage girl should be blamed for being raped?
velcro
Polanski was 43. the girl was 13. Who's the adult and who's the child. Vidal has no excuse for defending Polanski because there is no defense.
Jon
What does being Jewish have to do with any of this? Polanski is a child rapist who skipped out of the country rather than face up to the consequences of what he had done. His age, religion, national origin or directorial talent are of no consequence here. He should return to America at once to face the music.