Asia Argento on Tuesday morning denied she ever had a sexual relationship with an underage male in response to a Sunday New York Times report. (THR)
Argento agreed to pay actor and musician Jimmy Bennett, now 22, as he was experiencing “severe economic problems” and had already sought millions in damages against his family, she said Tuesday in a statement to reporter Yashar Ali. “I have never had any sexual relationship with Bennett,” the actress said. (HuffPost)
She also said that her former boyfriend, the late Anthony Bourdain, urged her to agree to a financial settlement to end the man’s “long-standing persecution” of her. (Variety)
Bourdain considered Bennett “dangerous,” Argento said, after Bennett requested an “exorbitant” amount of money from Argento. “Anthony was afraid of the possible negative publicity that such a person, whom he considered dangerous, could have brought upon us.” (Deadline)