Noel Clarke’s Kidulthood co-star Jaime Winstone has broken her silence to throw her support behind the disgraced actor’s accusers in a poignant Time’s Up post.
The actress, 35, who appeared opposite the actor in the 2006 film as Becky, shared the image on Instagram alongside a caption saying: ‘When you’re late to the party but you’ve been on the list for 15 years.’
Noel has faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct and bullying by 20 women in a series of shocking claims published by The Guardian. The Doctor Who star has apologised ‘deeply’ for his actions but ‘vehemently’ denied sexual misconduct.
Speaking out:Noel Clarke’s Kidulthood co-star Jaime Winstone has broken her silence to throw her support behind the actor’s accusers in a poignant Time’s Up post (pictured in 2007)
Jaime shared the image of the Time’s Up movement, which rose to prominence in 2018 as an initiative formed by 300 female Hollywood actors, executives, writers and directors to ‘counter systemic sexual harassment in the entertainment business’.
Jaime is among several stars who have openly shared their support for Noel’s accusers, with the actress Michaela Coel penning a lengthy post after the claims were revealed.
Cryptic: The actress, who appeared opposite the actor in the 2006 film, shared the image with a caption saying: ‘When you’re late to the party but you’ve been on the list for 15 years’
Screen: Jaime played Becky in the drama about a group of teenagers living Ladbroke Grove who engage in reckless behaviour such as crime, sex, and recreational drug taking
She said: ‘I am here to offer great support for the 20 brave women who have come forward; those who have shared their identities with us, but also those who have preferred to use an alias; the mental hurdles a black woman must overcome to do such a thing as reveal their identity within a narrative of rape abuse or bullying at the hands of someone within our community can sometimes be too much.
‘Speaking out about these incidents takes a lot of strength because some call them ‘grey areas’. They are however far from grey. These behaviours are unprofessional, violent, and can destroy a person’s perception of themselves, their place in the world and their career irreparably.
‘I have shared to show solidarity, to express my belief in them, and to stand with them in their indignation.’
On Saturday Christina Chong, who starred opposite Noel on his Sky One series Bulletproof claimed the raft of sexual harassment and bullying allegations against him are the British film industry’s ‘best kept secret.’
Sharing the Guardian article to Twitter, she alleged the claims have been the ‘UK film industry’s best kept secret for years!’
Clarke pictured with his wife, former make-up artist Iris Da Silva, at the 70th EE British Academy Film Awards at Royal Albert Hall in February 2017
She said: ‘If in doubt, trust me, it’s true. Why would 20 women put themselves through reliving their traumas to bring down an actor who isn’t even a household name? He’s a sexual predator #stoppable.’
Mandeep Dhillon, 30, who appeared as Kamali Khan in the Sky One show, added: ‘About f****** time. Don’t @ me.’
Chong responded to her Instagram post, saying: ‘Took the words right out of my mouth.’
Both actresses later posted identical messages to their social media accounts, reading: ‘We stand by the women sexually harassed by Noel Clarke #stoppable #timesup #metoo.’
Earlier, Bulletproof actor Ashley Walters said he was ‘deeply saddened’ by the allegations made against Clarke in a lengthy statement posted to Twitter.
He added: ‘My thoughts are with the women who have come forward and told their awful stories, I am in shock and deeply saddened by what I have heard on a multitude of levels.
‘I could never condone behaviour of this nature in nor out of the workplace, and whilst Noel has been a friend and colleague for several years, I cannot stand by and ignore this allegations.
‘Sexual harassment, abuse, and bullying have no place in our industry.
‘Every woman has the right to a safe workplace and moving forward I pledge my dedication to this.’
Following the claims, which saw Clarke suspended from Bafta, the actor said in a statement: ‘I vehemently deny any sexual misconduct or criminal wrongdoing.
‘Recent reports however have made it clear to me that some of my actions have affected people in ways I did not intend or realise. To those individuals, I am deeply sorry. I will be seeking professional help to educate myself and change for the better.’
His comments came amid reports that Bafta spent two weeks deciding how best to respond to allegations against Clarke prior to presenting him with an award.
The film academy was made aware of the allegations of sexual harassment, bullying and verbal abuse shortly after it announced its intention to honour the director with an award for outstanding British contribution to cinema, according to The Guardian.
It added that senior figures within the film academy were worried about the potential reputational damage to the organisation over its handling of the claims against Clarke.
Bafta chair Krishnendu Majumdar was reportedly aware there could be as many as 12 women making allegations against Clarke on the eve of the awards ceremony.
He sought to speak to anyone with first-hand experience of Clarke’s alleged misconduct and told an industry figure he was ‘trying to do something about’ the situation as it could ‘destroy’ Bafta ‘in the court of public opinion’, the newspaper said.
Bafta added it acted ‘as quickly and supportively as we could, even though we had only received the most generic of claims and no actual firsthand information to investigate allegations which were potentially of a criminal nature.’
They also claimed they would not have presented the award to Clarke had they been provided with this testimony.
An actress friend of Noel also told MailOnline on Friday that the 20 women accusing him of being a ‘sexual predator’ are pursuing a racist ‘witchhunt.’
The actress, who asked not to be named, said the 45-year-old actor, writer and director’s fall from grace is because ‘no one likes it when a man of colour gets to the top’.
Clarke, who is married to former make-up artist Iris Da Silva with three children, wrote and starred in the acclaimed film trilogy Kidulthood, Adulthood and Brotherhood as well as many TV hits including Doctor Who.
He is accused of a campaign of sexual harassment, groping and bullying between 2004 and 2019.
The sexual harassment claims were levelled against Clarke, best known for co-creating The Hood Trilogy, in The Guardian last night.
Clarke vehemently denied the allegations in a statement to the newspaper, which claims it informed Bafta of the allegations by the 20 women 13 days before they handed him his outstanding contribution award on April 10.
The allegations emerged last night, just before his new crime drama Viewpoint was due to air on ITV. Noel, 45, plays main character DC Martin Young, but the broadcaster, which was said to be in crisis mode, resisted calls to pull it, despite a sex scene involving him at the end of the episode.
One viewer tweeted: ‘This should definitely have been pulled tonight and should be taken off itvplayer until this is settled’. Another wrote: ‘It featured a sex scene involving… him. Absolutely shouldn’t have been broadcast’.
He said: ‘In a 20-year career, I have put inclusivity and diversity at the forefront of my work and never had a complaint made against me.
‘If anyone who has worked with me has ever felt uncomfortable or disrespected, I sincerely apologise. I vehemently deny any sexual misconduct or wrongdoing and intend to defend myself against these false allegations.’
