Geoffrey Rush’s career “irreparably damaged” by media allegations
By
Richard Phillips
12 April 2018
An Australian Federal Court heard this week that Geoffrey Rush was “virtually housebound” and taking medication for lack of sleep and anxiety, after the Daily Telegraph published anonymous and unsubstantiated allegations against him last year.
The tabloid, which is published by the Murdoch-owned Nationwide News, claimed he “inappropriately touched” a female co-star during a Sydney Theatre Company (STC) production of King Lear in January 2016.
The internationally acclaimed actor is suing the Telegraph and its journalist Jonathon Moran, for defamation. The newspaper implied that Rush was a pervert, sexual predator and his actions so serious that the STC had decided to “never work” with him again.
While Rush immediately denied the accusations, he was forced to step down as Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) president. A video of Rush, pre-recorded to be played at last year’s AACTA awards’ ceremony, was dropped, following demands by the television network’s sponsors.
On Monday, Rush’s barrister Nicholas Pullen told the Federal Court that the Telegraph and other Nationwide News publications had caused “ongoing hurt” to Rush and his family. The actor, Pullen said, believed that “his worth to the theatre and film industry and the community at large is now irreparably damaged.”
Pullen presented extensive documentation of the impact on Rush’s career, citing scores of national and international news articles that repeated the Telegraph’s accusations. One of these included a #MeToo-style blacklist, from the popular Rotten Apples movie review website, entitled, “Want to Know if You’re Watching Something…