“They believed me, but they said it was not a problem.” Noemi Merlant tells about the sexual harassment she suffered at the age of 17.

The rising actress of French cinema, Noemi Merlant, will star in Audrey Divan’s next film. Emmanuelon September 25. On this occasion, he was a guest on Clique, opposite Mulud Achour last Friday, giving him a retrospective on his early career. So the reporter questioned her about the sexual harassment she suffered when she was just 17 years old and a model, during her first shoot under contract with a professional photographer. The meeting with the latter was held in Paris by the young woman’s agency. “I was believed,” Noemi Merlant announced before beginning this episode’s story. But I was told it wasn’t a problem.” Laughing nervously, she, who is now an actress, added: “I often laugh when there’s something traumatic… but that’s what’s crazy is that they believed me.”

“You should have just said no.”

The man, he explains, was a famous photographer for fashion magazines. After asking her several questions about her personal life, the latter allegedly offered her a nude photo shoot, showing her as bait photos with similar famous models. “I strip, and that’s when it comes to sexual assault,” continued Noemi Merlant, now 35. When she finally left home, the actress said she immediately talked to her boyfriend, her parents and her agency about it. “Everyone believes me, but they say: “I just had to say no, just no, and that’s it. You didn’t have to tell your parents, we would have settled it between us,” he continues.

He then explains how his friend left his house to “punch” the photographer, returning a few hours later with this sentence: Understand, with him. An anecdote that clearly shows, according to the actress, “the mentality of the time” that “wouldn’t really change”. man i’m guilty about my body. I need to know when and how to set boundaries.” And added: “Surprise is not taken into account. The moment when we are alone in an apartment, in someone’s house, and we start to say to ourselves: “But what do I do?” ?

The rage of Internet users

Noemi Merlant’s testimony has caused many reactions on the Internet. “It’s crazy, we are objects that men can manage…”; “It seems to me that we are yielding not to the impulse of men, but to the dominance which men are accustomed to use with complete impunity. These are not the actions of some sick men as we keep hearing,” several netizens commented before congratulating the actress for her bravery.

In the comments, Noemi Merlant, however, wanted to defend the honor of her parents. “My parents heard me, believed me and immediately called the agency to shout. they immediately tried to protect me. I wanted to be a model and they tried to support me as much as they could. Due to stress, I didn’t manage to say everything in the video, but my parents were always very supportive. Thank you all for your messages,” he wrote under the post.