Regina Simons, an extra for the 1994 film On Deadly Ground, has told The Wrap that Steven Seagal raped her after inviting her to a wrap party at his home. Although more than a dozen women have accused the actor of sexual misconduct, Simons is the first to publicly accuse him of rape. Seagal has not yet commented on the rape accusation.
She has filed a report with the LAPD, joining Faviola Dadis, who filed a report claiming Seagal groped her during an audition in 2002. Portia de Rossi also accused Seagal of exposing himself to her during an audition. Other women who have made accusations of sexual misconduct against the actor include Jenny McCarthy, Julianna Margulies, and Lisa Guerrero.
Simons, who is now 43 and has two children, gave a harrowing account of the events. She claims that when she arrived at Seagal’s Beverly Hills home in 1993, it was empty. “I asked him where is everyone and he said that they had already left,” she told The Wrap. At the time, Simons was 18 years old, and Seagal was in his early 40s.
“He took me into this room and then just closed the door and started kissing me,” she continued. “He then took my clothes off, and before I knew it he was on top of me, raping me… I wasn’t sexually active yet. People always talk about fight-or-flight. But no one talks about the freeze.”
The actress also remembers the day she first met Seagal: at an open call for On Deadly Ground for Native Americans. Simons, who is part Navajo and Sioux, went to the open call with her brother. The two were allegedly singled out among hundreds by Seagal himself, who invited them on set. He invited them into his trailer, and when Simons complained of a headache, he gave her a massage. She shot the scene, and a few weeks later, was invited to the movie’s wrap party, where she claims the rape happened.
Simons was a Mormon at the time and had not had sexual intercourse previously. She told her story to her bishop, who also corroborated the story. “I wasn’t even allowed to date so for me it was a shameful thing,” she said. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, how could this have happened?’ So, I blamed a lot of it on myself and tried to pretend it didn’t happen.”
“The only way I’m able to describe it is I literally felt like I left my body,” Simons explained. “I think because of the situation I was completely caught off guard. Tears were coming down my face and I know that it hurt. He was three times my size.”
Simons further claims that Seagal called her at her home several times after the incident. The woman with whom she lived has also said that she remembers Seagal’s calls.
“I was crying when he was on top of me,” she said. “Even now, my 43-year-old mind knows how to process this and understand what a loving relationship is and what consensual sex is. And there was none of that.”
“All I remember is him asking me if I needed any money,” she said. “I shook my head and ran towards my car. I cried the whole way home.”
This may be a good time to note that Steven Seagal is not known for his acting prowess or his thoughtful opinions. Most recently, he (inexplicably) went on Good Morning Britain to trash talk the #TakeAKnee protests. To put it nicely, literally no one needed his input and it did nothing to further the conversation.
