Tom Arnold and Arnold Schwarzenegger would have "done something" if they’d known about Eliza Dushku’s alleged abuse ordeal.
The 37-year-old actress recently claimed she was assaulted by ‘True Lies’ stunt co-ordinator, Joel Kramer, when she was just 12 years old, and now her co-stars in the 1994 movie have praised her for speaking out and promised they’d have helped at the time if they had known.
Tom tweeted: "I promise you @JimCameron @Schwarzenegger @jamieleecurtis would’ve done something too. We all love & are proud of @elizadushku #metoo (sic)"
In response, Arnold, 70, retweeted the 58-year-old actor’s post and agreed: Tom", you bet your ass all of us would have done something.
"I’m shocked and saddened for Eliza but I am also proud of her – beyond being a great talent and an amazing woman, she is so courageous."
The two men spoke out after another star in the movie, Jamie Lee Curtis, confirmed Eliza had previously confided in her about the alleged abuse – which Kramer has branded "atrocious lies" – and admitted she is still "shocked and saddened" by her story.
She said: "She had shared that story with me privately a few years ago. I was shocked and saddened then and still am today. We have all started to awaken to the fact that the terrible abuses now commonplace in daily news reports have been going on for a very long time.
"Unconscionably, those reports frequently come along with claims by the perpetrators that, as adults, those perpetrated against had some part in it … Eliza’s story has now awakened us from our denial slumber to a new, horrific reality. The abuse of children."
The 59-year-old actress described Joel’s alleged actions as "terrible", and called for the truth to be discovered so that Hollywood could continue to push for change.
In a piece written for the Huffington Post, she wrote: "Many of us involved in ‘True Lies’ were parents. Jim, Arnold and myself. Parents of daughters. What allegedly happened to Eliza, away from the safety net of all of us and our purview is a terrible, terrible thing to learn about and have to reconcile.
"The truth will set us all free. Hopefully that freedom will bring a new ability to call out abuse and, when that abuse occurs, to have swift and consistent action, so that no one again will have to wait 25 years for their truth to be heard."
And the movie’s director, James Cameron, insisted he would have shown "no mercy" if he’d known about the alleged incident at the time.
He said: "Directors are historically pretty oblivious to the interpersonal things that are happening on their set because they’re focused and are the worst offenders at being focused on ‘What I’m doing creatively.’
"Had I known about it, there would have been no mercy. Now especially, I have daughters. There’s really no mercy now."
In an open letter on her social media account, Eliza claimed she was "groomed" by the stunt expert for months before going to his hotel room, where he "rubbed" his near-naked body against her.
She also alleged she was left with broken ribs after a stunt went wrong, shortly after a "strong adult" friend confronted Kramer about her allegations.
But the stunt co-ordinator insists her claims are not true.
Tom Arnold and Arnold Schwarzenegger back Eliza Dushku
