- Film And TV
- 25 Sep 18
Asia Argento has revealed in her first interview since Anthony Bourdain's suicide that she was "angry" with him in the immediate aftermath of his tragic death.
The Italian actress said she was upset with the celebrated chef for "abandoning my kids". Speaking about her initial reaction as she came to terms with her lover's sudden death back in June, Asia said: "And then, I was angry [at him], yes, for abandoning my kids. But now it's been replaced just by this loss, this hole, that cannot be filled by anything."
During a tearful interview with DailyMailTV, Asia Argento said: "Now, the anger kept me alive because otherwise this desperation has no end."
Asia also said that she "will feel guilty" for the rest of her life because she "didn't see" that Anthony "had so much pain inside of him".
Commenting on the hurtful comments and social media trolling she was subjected to after Anthony's death, Asia says: "People say I killed him. I understand that the world needs to find a reason. I would like to find a reason, too."
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Asia also dismissed the speculation that Anthony had taken his own life because he'd discovered that she'd cheated on him. "People need to think that he killed himself [for] something like this," she said. "He cheated on me, too."
Asia, who now finds herself at the centre of a #MeToo storm following acquisitions that she raped a 17-year-old teenage boy, revealed she had an 'open relationship' with Anthony, which "wasn't a problem with us".
She added: "He was a man who traveled 265 days a year. When we saw each other, we took really great pleasure in each other's presence.
"We are not children. I cannot think of Anthony as somebody who would do an extreme gesture for this, who suffered like that. What I do feel terrible about is that he had so much pain inside of him and I didn't see it. I did not see it. And for that, I will feel guilty for the rest of my life."
She recounted getting the phone call to tell her the bad news. "I received a phone call from his manager. And it was very quick. He just told me, 'Anthony took his life.' And I couldn't speak. I couldn't cry. And then I started screaming. I felt like I was in the abyss," she recalled.
Back in late August, #MeToo campaigner Asia Argento was accused of raping a minor. The Italian actress settled the claim out of court earlier this year, paying her alleged victim $380k, according to a court documents obtained by the New York Times.
After the story came to light, it was revealed that it was Anthony Bourdain himself who made the payment to former child actor and musician Jimmy Bennett, who once starred in a film with Asia Argento when he was seven-years-old.
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Jimmy claims that he was raped by the Italian actress back in 2013. He was 17-year-old at the time of the alleged sexual assault but was legally still a minor as the age of consent in California is 18.
Legal documents claim that Asia Argento sent away the teenager's chaperone when he paid a visit to her at her hotel room. It's claimed that she then plied him with alcohol and gave him lover letters; afterwards she kissed him and pushed him onto the bed and performed oral sex on him, before having sexual intercourse.
Jimmy Bennett's lawyer claimed this was "sexual battery" and had originally demanded $3.5 million from Asia Argento.
Bennett's lawyer was seeking such a huge figure because they claimed that their client was so traumatized by it all that it had a negative impact on his acting career and earnings. But they then settled for $380k, as reported in the New York Times.
Asia became a global #MeToo figurehead after accusing disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein of sexually assaulting her. Bennett's lawyer stated in court files that his client decided to take the case because “feelings about that day were brought to the forefront recently when Ms. Argento took the spotlight as one of the many victims of Harvey Weinstein".
Asia Argento's lawyer Carrie Goldberg sent her a letter back in April setting out the final details of the settlement. In it, Goldberg wrote: "We hope nothing like this ever happens to you again. You are a powerful and inspiring creator and it is a miserable condition of life that you live among shitty individuals who've preyed on both your strengths and your weaknesses."
Asia Argento has denied raping the teenager.