Selma Blair Reveals Alleged Threat That Kept Her Silent for Years

Selma Blair is speaking again about an alleged encounter with filmmaker James Toback that she says left her frightened and silent for years.

According to Fox News, the "Cruel Intentions" actress discussed the experience during an appearance on "The Jenny McCarthy Show." Blair said the incident occurred when she was in her early 20s and described Toback as "really, really scary."

Blair recalled an alleged meeting in which Toback pressured her to remove her clothing while performing a monologue. She said she believed at the time that he was attempting to help her develop as an actress.

"I took my clothes off," Blair said. "It was horrifying."

According to Blair, Toback then instructed her to perform the monologue while naked. She said she felt extremely uncomfortable and later described the encounter as traumatic.

"I was scared, and I was a people pleaser," Blair said, explaining why she did not immediately challenge his demands.

Blair also recalled Toback making negative comments about her appearance, including remarks about her hips. She said those comments added to the distress she experienced during the encounter.

The actress said the most frightening part came when Toback allegedly warned her against telling anyone what had happened.

"He said, 'You know, if you ever tell a soul, I'll gouge your eyes out with a Bic pen,'" Blair recalled. "And I believed it and I kept quiet."

Blair's account was later included in a 2017 Los Angeles Times investigation by reporter Glenn Whipp. The initial report detailed allegations from 38 women against Toback, with the number of accusers later growing to more than 300, according to subsequent reporting.

Blair initially spoke with the newspaper anonymously. She said she decided to reveal her identity after Toback disputed the women's accounts and accused them of lying.

"When I found out he called all these women liars ... I was like, oh no, I can't stand for that," Blair said. "I will no longer be anonymous because he's not going to do that."

Blair and actress Rachel McAdams publicly discussed their allegations against Toback in a 2017 Vanity Fair interview. Toback denied the sexual misconduct allegations at the time, saying he either did not know the women or did not remember the encounters they described.

Looking back, Blair said the experience remained deeply upsetting and offered encouragement to women facing similar pressure.

"You don't have to do it. You don't have to do it," she said.