Right before AnnaLynne McCord was set to shoot with famous photographer Terry Richardson in August of 2008, she says she received an unexpected warning from a member of her team: Be extra careful.
“I had been forewarned,” McCord told TheWrap in a video interview (above). “I had been told that people have had experiences where they felt uncomfortable or have been harassed.”
“It’s crazy because you just say, ‘Oh, O.K.,” added McCord, who has previously spoken out about surviving a rape. “You take it in stride. And that’s what’s scary to me, is that it’s so normal.”
McCord is one of many actresses who have done photo shoots with Richardson. On Tuesday, the UK’s Telegraph reported that Richardson has been blacklisted from Condé Nast International, and that the company will no longer publish his work on media properties like British Vogue and GQ.
The paper said allegations had resurfaced that he “engaged in sexually inappropriate behaviour with young models during photo shoots.” His spokeswoman told the paper that “many of his professional interactions with subjects were sexual and explicit in nature but all of the subjects of his work participated consensually.”
“He shoots very close and he kind of moves you,” McCord said. “But for me, I was already on guard so, if anything happened I probably would have done something to his camera.”
“I remember someone asked me after the shoot if anything weird happened, because I recall saying, ‘No, except that he was very excited,’” she said. “We had a laugh and that was that. Once again, the norm of intolerable behavior being so passively overlooked is the most disconcerting part. Our psychology as a society regarding these issues simply must change.”
McCord, best known for her roles in the hit FX show “Nip/Tuck” and the “90210” reboot, said she was able to deal with her trauma by helping others. These days she serves as president of Together1Heart, which combats human trafficking abroad.
“It’s the reason I’m alive and here today,” McCord said. “I didn’t want to be alive for a long time and now I value my life.”