Noomi Rapace quit a play when its director became "angry" after she rejected his advances.
The 39-year-old actress was 20 years old and had "always been very stubborn" so refused to give into the unnamed man and admitted the incident was so commonplace at the time, she never thought anything out of the ordinary had happened to her.
Admitting she had refused to "play that game or become someone’s mistress", she said: "[It was] like the actresses were a buffet…
"I never gave myself to him, which provoked him so much. He became really aggressive and angry. I just thought that was the way it was, because you saw so many situations like that around you."
The incident was an "early wake up call" for the Swedish actress – who has 15-year-old son Lev with ex-husband Ola Norell – and she decided to quit the play.
The ‘Close’ actress thinks the movie industry can be "dangerous" for women because so many of them are so desperate to land a role, they will do whatever it takes.
She told the Daily Telegraph newspaper: "There’s so much desperation in the acting world and a lot of people will do anything to get a part. It’s dangerous."
The ‘Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ star left home when she was 14 to live with her boyfriend and, with Malmo, her nearest city having "insanely high" incidents of rape, Noomi began training in martial arts and found the practice "liverating".
She said: "I knew a lot of girls who had been raped. Nothing happened to me, but I was aware of a potential sexual violence.
"I didn’t like feeling scared and like I couldn’t protect myself if something happened. To be aware of your body as a woman and to find strength that isn’t based on how you look was liberating for me."
And the ‘Prometheus’ actress felt the classes made her feel "equal" to men, wherever she went.
She said: "Every time I walked into a fight club or training studio I felt like I was equal [to the men there]. It was an environment that was very respectful."
Noomi Rapace quit play over director’s advances
