After the Harvey Weinstein sexual allegations news broke, several celebrities have come forward and shared their own harrassment stories. This time, it is "Hercules" and "God's Not Dead" star Kevin Sorbo who claims he had a troubling encounter with the late Italian fashion designer, Gianni Versace.
Sorbo, 59, shared his story on Adam Carolla's podcast while promoting his new faith-based movie 'Let There Be Light.'
He says he was working as a model in the 1980s, and he almost worked with Versace in 1984 before landing the lead role in "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys."
"He wanted to meet me because of my height. At 6-foot, 3-inches, he wanted me to do fashion shows with these 6-foot tall women," he said of Versace.
He says the fashion designer invited him to dinner parties with Sophia Loren, opera star Luciano Pavarotti and Richard Gere.
But the more parties he attended, the fewer people came, until it was only him and the fashion designer who was left. There, Versace offered to let him do commercials for his fashion brand. "All of a sudden, his hand goes up my leg," recalled Sorbo, who immediately confronted Versace: "Dude, you know I'm straight?"
But the designer was undeterred. "This is why I like you. You're not a girly man. You are a man's man," he quipped. "In life, you must [expletive] everything. You must do the dog, and the cat, and the boy, and the girl."
Sorbo tried explaining to Versace that they lead different lifestyles, and Versace defended his actions by saying he only wanted to "build a bridge" between them. But Sorbo said "the bridge was never built, and I never got the campaign. I got four free dinners."
Despite Versace's bold move, the Christian actor earlier told The Hollywood Reporter that they remained friends and he was booked for some fashion shows. "He booked me for his fashion shows but I never got his campaign, but I knew the game, just like I know the game of Hollywood," he said. "Casting couches have always been around. I don't play that game, nor do I care to."
