Karla Souza: "How to get away with Murder" actress says she was raped by a Mexican director

"How to get away with Murder" actress, Karla Souza, has said she was raped by a Mexican director early in her career.

Karla Souza, an actress popular for her role in "How to Get Away with Murder," has said she was raped by a Mexican director early in her career.

In an interview with CNN, Souza revealed that after much pressure from the undisclosed director, she allowed him to kiss and touch her in ways she found inappropriate.

 

Souza explained that she realized something was wrong when she was placed in the same hotel with the director, while the rest of the cast and crew were in a separate hotel.

The director, who she described as 'charismatic with a great career would knock on her door at 2 AM to go over lines or because he had thought of something to add to the film or simply because he wanted to talk to her.

On the nights that she didn't open the door for him, he would retaliate by treating her badly on set or not filming her scenes.

"He would insult me in front of the cast. This was his form of psychological control that he had with me.  At the same time, he was charming and if I opened the door he was great with me," she said.

 

The 32-year-old actress who plays Laurel Castillo on "HTGAWM" said: "After a month of his abuse and under his control, I sort of gave up and I let him kiss me and touch me in ways that I didn't want him to. "

'And in one of those instances, he attacked me violently and yes, he raped me.'

 

Following Souza's interview, Televisa, a popular content production company in Mexico, announced in a statement Tuesday night that it was breaking all ties with director Gustavo Loza.

"In the face of public accusations about the sexual abuse of actress Karla Souza, and after a preliminary investigation, Televisa has decided to immediately break off all relations with Mr. Gustavo Loza," said the statement, which was read on air by a Televisa journalist.

 

Loza took to Twitter to distance himself from the accusations against him by Televisa regarding the case of the alleged rape by Souza.

During an interview with CNN, Loza questioned how Televisa could accuse him without proof. He said he had tried to contact Souza, who he claimed he is friends with and even once has a consensual relationship with.

Souza's revelation comes several accusations of sexual harassment throughout the world, which has resulted to the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements.