The texts reveal Kirk's frustration that her former boyfriend Packer, and his business partner Ratner, had not delivered on alleged promises to land her Hollywood film roles, despite Packer setting up a late night meeting between her and Tsujihara at the luxurious Hotel Bel Air. THR reports that Tsujihara's company WarnerMedia has also investigated the allegations. Actress Charlotte Kirk is at the centre of a texting scandal embroiling James Packer. Credit:AP Around the same time it emerged his marriage to his second wife and the mother of his three children, Erica Packer, had come to an end, Packer texted the then 21-year-old actress at 12.10am on September 27, 2013. According to the text, Packer, who at the time was a partner with Ratner in RatPac Entertainment, was setting up the young actress for her big break.

"I have the opportunity of a lifetime for u," Packer wrote in a text message reviewed by The Hollywood Reporter. "Come to [the Hotel] Bel air now. U will never be able to pay me." He promised an introduction to "the most important man u can meet." Kirk quickly agreed to the rendezvous. Warner Bros. chairman and CEO Kevin Tsujihara is accused of promising acting roles in exchange for sex as detailed in The Hollywood Reporter. Credit:AP Packer did not identify the man by name, but based on hundreds of texts, emails and a draft legal settlement agreement obtained and reviewed by THR, the late-night introduction was to Warner Bros boss Tsujihara. "That communication and subsequent encounters between Kirk and Tsujihara drew the powerful studio chief into what Kirk repeatedly referred to as a sexual relationship," THR reports. "And from there the relationship devolved into a protracted and increasingly desperate struggle among Tsujihara, Ratner and Packer to manage Kirk’s urgent demands to be cast in movies and TV series."

A text message exchange between Charlotte Kirk and Kevin Tsujihara in March 2015. At one point, Ratner accused Kirk of attempted "extortion". Kirk was cast in small roles in two Warner Bros films: 2016's How to Be Single and 2018's Ocean’s 8, and according to documents reviewed by THR as well as accounts from sources, she scored auditions for several other projects at Warner Bros and at Avi Lerner’s Millennium Films. THR reports the texts showed that, over time, Kirk became increasingly agitated because she was not getting as many roles as anticipated. "Eventually, Ratner seemed to take the lead in attempting to manage the situation and, via attorney Marty Singer, brokered a proposed settlement agreement that would have assured her auditions as well as an appearance in a Ratner-directed movie," the publications reported.

The proposed deal was never signed, according to Singer. Ratner maintains that Kirk was a friend and he was simply helping her secure auditions. According to the text exchanges, Kirk met Packer through Ratner in November 2012 when she was 20 and Packer was 45, and the two embarked on a relationship. Nearly a year later, following her first meeting with Tsujihara at the Hotel Bel Air, Kirk texted Packer: “His [sic] not very nice! Very pushy!! He just wants to f**k nothing else does not even want To say anything!” Packer responded, “U OK?” and told her to “Be cool.” By February 2014, Kirk had enlisted Tsujihara to aid her acting efforts. She continued to text Packer over the ensuing months and was mostly ignored. But she got his attention on October 14 when she texted him that Tsujihara was “very kindly looking at what he can do to help me now that my career is starting to take off”. He replied, “I’m really happy for you. Just don’t want to overpromise. Sending you good energy.”

Further messages between Kirk and Tsujihara. Kirk answered Packer on October 18 that “putting me in one of your many movies shouldn’t be a big deal,” adding, “I did help u out with Kevin which was hard for me but I did it for you.” At the time Packer set up Kirk’s 2013 encounter with Tsujihara, he and Ratner were sealing a US$450 million deal with Warners. RatPac-Dune Entertainment was a financing entity formed between RatPac Entertainment and Steven Mnuchin’s Dune Entertainment. (None of the materials reviewed by THR reference Mnuchin, who is now US President Trump’s Secretary of the Treasury.) In another October 18 exchange, Packer showed his displeasure at the mere mention of Tsujihara's name and texted, “Hey that’s not being cool.” Still, Kirk persisted: “I didn’t expect to be part of a business deal so all I’m asking is u just help me with a couple of roles it’s not big deal and then we’ll just put this all behind us.”

Packer protested that they had discussed all this before. “Yes we did speak before and I was cool before and nothing happened,” she answered. Kirk texted that Packer promised "this man would change my world.'" Packer denied making any promises or forcing her to do anything, adding that he felt "like ur trying to blackmail me over a lie." The two agreed to discuss things in person when Packer was next in Los Angeles. Three days later, Kirk asked to meet with Packer just as he was about to arrive in L.A. “Dont push me. U’ll regret it,” he wrote. She responded: “James if you’re trying to make me worry about my safety you’ll be forcing me to give this to my attorneys.” Packer answered: “Can’t wait tough girl… Get back in your box or let’s fight. Lying and blackmail are a bad start… tough lying girl.” Kirk replied that the only reason she had raised the possibility of involving her lawyers was because she thought his warning that she would regret pushing him “sounded like a threat on my life.” She continued: “This is all getting out of hand. I’m just asking you to do the right thing and help me. Let’s just meet and resolve this amicably, ok?” He replied: “I’ll meet you but get back in your box.”

After the two apparently met, Kirk noted with disappointment that this time, Packer brought an associate to listen in on their conversation. For months after, Kirk intermittently texted Packer with a conciliatory tone but apparently got no response. At some point Ratner seems to have taken the lead in dealing with her. Packer, who has previously revealed he "lost millions" during his foray into movie making, sold his interest in RatPac-Dune to Ukrainian billionaire Len Blavatnik in April 2017. WarnerMedia issued a statement to THR saying: "Kirk has publicly denied any impropriety in her casting, and our prior investigation did not find otherwise." A statement from Tsujihara's personal attorney to THR said the CEO "had no direct role in the hiring of this actress." In a statement, Ratner's attorney Singer said: "Brett Ratner did nothing wrong and had the best intentions. While he offered to help get Ms Kirk a limited number of auditions, he consistently told her that she would have to earn any job herself."