38 women accuse veteran Hollywood director of sexual harassment

Oscar-nominated writer and director James Toback, best known for the film Bugsy (1991), has been accused of sexual harassment by 38 women in a report published by the Los Angeles Times.

A seemingly common theme, many of the 38 women allege Toback approached them on the streets of New York City, promising stardom and insisting them to trust him in the process. Meetings that followed would often end with sexual questions and/or Toback allegedly masturbating in front of them or dry-humping them, accounts quoted in the report stated.

When asked, the 72-year-old denied the allegations to LA Times, saying he never met any of the women and/or if he had, it "was for five minutes" and that he has no recollection of the encounter.Toback had directed Robert Downey Jr., in three movies, which he would allegedly tell the women, claiming that he was a close friend and that he had "invented him."

The writer/director is known for pushing the envelope sexually in his movies and examining extremes such as gambling, drinking, womanising, which he says reflect some of his own demons."The idea is not to have a separation between my life and my movies," Toback had said in a 2002 Salon interview.

"Off-screen he constantly brought up those provocative scenes," the LA Times stated in its report quoting the women who were interviewed.

"The more time you spend with him, the weirder it gets until it's like just like one giant red flag," said Los Angeles radio reporter Anna Scott, who was 18 years old when she claims Toback harassed her sexually.

Echo Danon, actress who was part of film Black and White (1991) starring Robert Downey, Jr. and Mike Tyson, also came forward with similar claims.

"Everyone wants to work, so they put up with it," Danon said. "That's why I put up with it. Because I was hoping to get another job."

The LA Times report follows the damning account of women Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein allegedly sexually harassed and assaulted, including names like Angelina Jolie and Gweneth Paltrow. Though less famous than Weinstein, Toback has held a four-decade-long career in Hollywood with a devoted following, often praising him for his original writing and his deeply flawed characters.