Russell Brand denies sexually assaulting woman while drunk on set of movie Arthur
RUSSELL Brand last night denied he sexually assaulted a woman while drunk on the set of the movie Arthur.
The comedian said his accuser mistook him for being intoxicated because his character, Arthur Bach, was an alcoholic.
He claimed he was eight years sober at the time and that the woman had a “faulty memory”.
In her lawsuit, filed in with the New York State Supreme Court in November, the woman claimed Mr Brand assaulted her in 2010 while filming a remake of the 1981 Dudley Moore comedy.
She said Mr Brand, 48, “appeared intoxicated”, “smelled of alcohol” and was carrying a bottle of vodka on set.
While they were waiting to film a scene at a Manhattan restaurant, Mr Brand allegedly “pulled his erect penis out of his pants”, it is claimed.
The case continues.
Mr Brand is being represented by Andrew Brettler, the ‘pit bull’ lawyer who also represented Prince Andrew in his claims of abuse by one of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims.
In a court document, Mr Brettler said that Mr Brand got sober on December 13, 2002, so he was eight years clean when he played the alcoholic main character of the film.
Mr Brettler wrote: “Arthur Bach, originally played by Dudley Moore in the 1981 comedy, Arthur, is a drunk.
“Brand, an actor and comedian, played the same role in the 2010 remake.
While Brand’s job was to act drunk and portray a drunk in the film, he did not drink a sip of alcohol or consume any drugs at any time during production.”
According to Mr Brettler, the vodka bottle was a “prop” for the film and Mr Brand does not even “recognise” the woman by her name or her photograph.
Mr Brand was separately accused of sexual assault by four other women in a report published last year by The Times and Channel 4.
He has denied all wrongdoing.