Theron’s claims follow a 2017 lawsuit filed by five women against Weinstein, which accuses him of “civil racketeering”. Actor Melissa Sagemiller alleged that Weinstein had attempted to coerce her into sex by telling her that other successful actors had previously done the same in exchange for parts.

According to the lawsuit, Weinstein allegedly told Sagemiller: “Renée Zellweger, Charlize Theron and other actresses gave sexual favours.” He then allegedly asked: “Don’t you want your career to be more than just this little teen film?” In a statement to People, Zellweger’s representative said: “If Harvey said that, he’s full of shit.”

Theron’s remarks also follow similar allegations made by actor Gwyneth Patrow, who claimed in 2017 that she had discovered Weinstein had told people they had a sexual relationship. “He’s not the person to lie about sleeping with someone, but he used the lie as an assault weapon,” Paltrow told the New York Times.

Charlize Theron is the latest actor to accuse Harvey Weinstein of lying about sleeping with her