Jeremy Renner has denied allegations of harassment from director Yi Zhou, alleging that the actor sent her “private and intimate photos of himself” and on one occasion displayed disturbing behavior that led to him locking her in a room.
“The allegations being made are completely inaccurate and untrue,” Renner’s rep told Variety.
Renner’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for further comment.
Mr. Chou, 37, made his first claims against Mr. Renner on Monday in a series of Instagram posts that included hashtags such as “#Cancel” and “#CancelJeremyRenner.” Chou claims that they began dating in June after Renner contacted her by sending her “a series of unwanted/unwanted pornographic images of himself via DM and Whatsapp,” and then “seduced” her by “loving me so much that I believed in the power of love.” She also claims that she was contacted and “set up a fan smear campaign to destroy me.”
“This experience really shows the dark side of Hollywood and the smear campaign that discourages women and Asian women filmmakers, and women in general,” Chou wrote in another post. “While I am appalled, I am also pleased to read the outpouring of support from friends and the media as we continue to expose domestic violence, mistreatment of women, and disturbing pornographic attacks on innocent young women.”
Mr Chou detailed his allegations to the Daily Mail on Thursday. She claimed that she was with Renner on the night of August 20 to discuss a documentary project. Renner reportedly drank a bottle of wine. Mr. Chou characterized Mr. Renner as “violent” in an email he claimed to have sent to another party that night. Mr. Chou claimed that he locked himself in his room out of fear.
Before Mr. Chou made his accusations against Mr. Renner, the two were reported to be collaborating on a series of projects. Mr. Chou directed the documentary “Chronicles of Disney,” about the studio’s legacy and history, and Mr. Renner was interviewed as a talking head. Although the film is not being produced by Disney itself, costume designer Mark Bridges and makeup artist Bill Corso will also reportedly appear.
Renner is also the voice actor for Chou’s Stardust Future: Stars and Scars, which claims to be the first animated feature created entirely by AI. According to Variety, the film is aiming for an award-winning theatrical release in November, with a portion of the proceeds going to Renner’s charity, the Rennervation Foundation.
