Chilean Filmmaker Nicolas Lopez Accused of Sexual Misconduct

Three of the writer-director's accusers are well-known actresses, while two worked with him on his 'Que Pena Tu Vida' trilogy.

Chilean filmmaker Nicolas Lopez, a frequent collaborator of American horror filmmaker Eli Roth, has been accused of sexual misconduct and harassment by multiple women in a new report.

Eight women accused the writer-director, whose credits include Roth's Aftershock, The Green Inferno and Knock Knock, of inappropriate behavior including unwanted kissing, requests that women touch him and masturbating in front of one woman in a story published Saturday in Sabado, a weekend magazine of the Chilean newspaper El Mercurio.

Three of his accusers are well-known actresses, according to CNN Chile. Two worked with him on his Que Pena Tu Vida trilogy.

In the story Chilean actress Daniela Ginestar alleges that during a visit to her home, Lopez screened a video of a television star having sex with him, suggested she should do the same to have success in the industry and later masturbated in front of her.

Another woman, Maria Vidaurre, says that Lopez asked her to a late-night casting meeting as his home, where he told her she should stop wearing bras and pushed her against a wall, forcibly kissed her and pressed his erection against her.

The model Bernadita Cruz said he grabbed her breast, while Que Pena Tu Vida trilogy actress Andrea Velasco, who has worked with Lopez, said that Lopez and business partner Miguel Asensio practiced discriminatory business tactics, blacklisting Velasco after she attempted to negotiate pay on the third Que Pena Tu Vida film after getting low pay on the first two.

Lopez's attorney Paula Vial released a statement to several newspapers defending his client and threatening legal action following the story. "We are convinced that Nicolas is not an abuser," it read, citing "false" and "decontextualized" statements in the story.

Lopez wrote the screenplay to Roth's 2012 film Aftershock as well as his 2015 film Knock Knock. Lopez has also produced 2013's The Green Inferno and Aaron Burns' 2016 horror film Madre.

The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to Lopez's representatives for comment.