‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Star Caterina Scorsone Joins 300 Other Women, Says Director James Toback Sexually Abused Her

Grey’s Anatomy’s Caterina Scorsone (Amelia Shepherd) is the latest celebrity coming out sharing her story about allegedly being sexually assaulted by film director James Toback. According to HuffPost, more than 300 women, including actresses such as Selma Blair, Julianne Moore, and Rachel Adams, have accused the director of sexual assault.

The Grey’s Anatomy actress posted to Instagram to share her story with the director. She added that the main reason for sharing her story was to corroborate the other women’s stories. In interviews with the Los Angeles Times and Rolling Stone, Toback has denied all 300 allegations against him.

Caterina said that 17 years ago, she wrote an essay about a “prominent” director who reportedly propositioned her for sex after she did an audition for one of his films. Scorsone said that Toback told her that if she really wanted to get ahead in Hollywood, she would “go there” with him and he’d make sure she had a fantastic career.

The Grey’s Anatomy star ended up declining his offer. She told him that she thought he was a talented director but to imply she needed to “put out” to get ahead in show business was not okay. Scorsone told James that she had hoped he cast the role on dramatic ability.

In the end, Scorsone did not get the part and decided to leave Hollywood, fearing that all directors could be the same as Toback. She never spoke about her experience as it’s understood that the industry would “protect the abuser.”

Caterina eventually was lured back to acting years later as an adult. She praised Shonda Rhimes for her support and for being a great showrunner. She hopes in the future that the good ones like Shonda will be able to push out the bad ones like James Toback.

Caterina hopes that her voice will help the other 299 women who reported sexual misconduct against James. She wanted to speak out and let these women know they aren’t alone and their words do matter and help others. Scorsone added that she hopes that by sharing her story, it will encourage someone else who has been abused to speak out.

Caterina Scorsone appears on Grey’s Anatomy Thursday evenings on ABC.

[Featured Image by Christopher Polk/Getty Images]