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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Lifestyle
Peony Hirwani

Grace Van Dien says she’s been ‘turning down acting projects’ due to unwanted sexual advances from a producer

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Grace Van Dien says she’s been “turning down acting projects” due to alleged sexual advances from an unnamed film producer.

During a Twitch stream this week, the 26-year-old actor who played the role of Chrissy Cunningham in Stranger Things, revealed that she’s declined four movie roles in the last two-and-a-half weeks.

“Here’s the thing, I have seen that some people are upset with me for turning down acting projects and deciding to stream more, but the fact of the matter is the last few projects I’ve worked on I didn’t have the best experiences with some of the people I had to work for,” Van Dien said.

The Lady Driver star alleged that a film producer made unwanted sexual advanced toward her.

“One of the last movies I did, one of the producers asked me to… like, he hired a girl that he was sleeping with and then he had her ask me to have a threesome with them,” she said.

“So… that’s my boss. And then I didn’t and I cried and I was so upset.

“But when people are like, ‘How is streaming better for your mental health?’ That’s how. I get to stay inside my house and play video games and I don’t have my boss asking me to have sex with them.”

Van Dien said that she’ll be focusing on streaming for now.

Grace Van Dien in ‘Stranger Things’ (Netflix)

“I’m happy here, and I’m developing my own projects,” she said. “I’m hoping that someone decides to fund them because then I can be in control of my own set, and I’m not gonna ask my actors to sleep with me.”

Van Dien is best known for her roles in Stranger Things, The Village, and Charlie Says.

She’s also featured in the remake of Sleeping Beauty and starred in many independent films and projects like The Bad Twin.

In addition to being an actress, Grace Van Dien is a streamer on her Twitch channel. She plays and streams Fortnite, Overwatch, and Valorant.

Rape Crisis offers support for those affected by rape and sexual abuse. You can call them on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, and 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland, or visit their website: www.rapecrisis.org.uk. If you are in the US, you can call Rainn on 800-656-HOPE (4673).

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