sexual assault

HTGAWM Actress Karla Souza Says She Was Raped by a Director Early in Her Career

Karla Souza. Photo: Michael Tullberg/Getty Images

Karla Souza, who plays Laurel Castillo on How to Get Away With Murder, has alleged she was raped by a director while filming on location in her native Mexico early in her career. In an interview with CNN en Español, Souza said she was staying in the same hotel as her director, which was separate from the rest of the cast. She claims the director would knock on her door late at night insisting he wanted to go over scenes, and then emotionally abuse her on set until she relented. “I ended up giving in to him. [I let him] kiss me, to touch me in ways I did not want him to touch me and in one of those instances, he attacked me violently and yes, he raped me,” she said. Souza did not name the director in her interview.

HTGAWM’s Karla Souza Says She Was Raped by a Director