Thandie Newton was told sex abuse revelations would affect her career

Thandie Newton has said that she was told not to talk about the sexual abuse she suffered early on in her career, because it could affect her future job prospects.

The ‘Westworld’ star revealed in 2013 an incident where she was taken advantage of by an unnamed director during an audition, when she was 18.

She told the Radio Times: “I understand that because I’m someone who has spoken out about my abuse [as a very young actress] and people didn’t like it one bit.

“People have told me to stop and I have felt it did affect whether I was getting employed or not.

“But I hope that somewhere a mum taking her kid to the set will just be that little bit more aware.”

She also recently said that being an actress of colour in the UK also limits your working prospects, due to the prevalence of period dramas on TV.

“I love being here, but I can’t work, because I can’t do Downton Abbey, can’t be in Victoria, can’t be in Call The Midwife – well, I could, but I don’t want to play someone who’s being racially abused,” she told the Sunday Times.

“I’m not interested in that, don’t want to do it… there just seems to be a desire for stuff about the Royal Family, stuff from the past, which is understandable, but it just makes it slim pickings for people of colour.”

Newton is currently starring in the latest series of ‘Line of Duty’ for the BBC.

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