Samantha Geimer, rape victim of Roman Polanski defends director: “I’m still fine”
Samantha Geimer, who was raped by Roman Polanski in 1977 when she was 13 years old, has come out in defence of the filmmaker.
Polanski was subsequently arrested for his crimes in 1977, but escaped a full prison sentence, serving only 42 days after accepting a plea bargain. Two years later, in 1979, the director fled the United States, despite the fact that he was still under probation, fearing that he would face longer imprisonment. Many years later, as recent as 2009, Polanski was detained by Swiss police in an attempt by the US authorities to extradite him.
Having supported Polanski in the past, in Geimer’s most recent interview with Le Point magazine, conducted by Polanski’s wife, Emmanuelle Seigner, she continued in this tone.
“Let me be very clear: what happened with Polanski was never a big problem for me,” Geimer stated: “I didn’t even know it was illegal, that someone could be arrested for it. I was fine, I’m still fine. The fact that we’ve made this [a big deal] weighs on me terribly. To have to constantly repeat that it wasn’t a big deal, it’s a terrible burden”.
Continuing, she adds: “The extradition attempt, the fact that Roman was arrested like that, it was so unfair and so in opposition to justice…Everyone should know by now that Roman has served his sentence. Which was… long, if you want my opinion. From my side, nobody wanted him to go to jail, but he did and it was enough. He paid his debt to society. There, end of story. He did everything that was asked of him until the situation went berserk he had no other choice but to flee. Anyone who thinks that he deserves to be in prison is wrong. It isn’t the case today and it wasn’t the case yesterday”.
Take a look at Geimer talking to 60 Minutes in an interview from 2020, below.
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