Jeremy Renner has formally and publicly denied the serious allegations of harassment that have been levied against him by the filmmaker Yi Zhou, who has claimed in public statements that the actor sent her what she described as “personal and intimate photographs of himself” and also exhibited disturbing and unsettling behavior during one specific occasion that she says prompted her to lock herself in a room for her own safety and peace of mind.
“The allegations being made are totally inaccurate and untrue,” a representative for Renner stated definitively in an official comment provided to the publication Variety.
Yi Zhou, who is 37 years old, first levied her claims and accusations against Renner publicly on Monday by publishing a series of posts on her official Instagram account, which notably included the hashtags “#Cancel” and the more specific “#CancelJeremyRenner.”
Zhou claims in these posts that she began a romantic relationship with Renner after he initially contacted her in the month of June by sending, in her words, “a string of unwanted/unsolicited pornographic images of himself via DM and Whatsapp” and then subsequently “seduced” her by, as she put it, “loving me so much I believed in him/the power of love.”
She also makes the further claim that she has been contacted and, in her words, “destroyed by a set up [of] smear fans campaigns” orchestrated against her.
“This experience really shows the dark side of Hollywood and the smear campaign to deter women and Asian female filmmakers and women in general,” Zhou wrote in another separate post on her social media.
“I’m appalled but happy to read also many support from friends and media that will continue to uncover domestic abuse, abuse of women and the unwanted unsolicited porn attack against innocent young women.”
Speaking directly to the Daily Mail in an interview published on Thursday, Zhou expounded in greater detail on her various allegations. She claimed specifically that she was physically present with Renner on the evening of August 20 for the stated purpose of discussing a collaborative documentary project.
During this meeting, Renner allegedly consumed an entire bottle of wine by himself. Zhou characterized Renner’s demeanor as becoming “violent” in a text message that she claims to have sent to another party later on that same evening.
Zhou further alleged that she felt so frightened by his behavior that she resorted to locking herself in a separate room out of genuine fear for her personal safety.
It is noteworthy that prior to Zhou’s public allegations being made against Renner, the pair had been publicly reported by various media outlets to be working together professionally across a series of creative projects.
Zhou is currently serving as the director for the documentary film “Chronicles of Disney,” which focuses on the legacy and extensive history of the famed studio, and in which Renner is interviewed as a talking head contributor.
The film, which it is important to note is not being officially produced by the Disney studio itself, is also reported by production notes to feature other notable industry figures such as the acclaimed costume designer Mark Bridges and the renowned makeup artist Bill Corso.