HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Roman Polanski still has plenty of support in Hollywood.
More than 100 stars in the entertainment industry, including Martin Scorsese and Woody Allen, have signed a petition calling for the director's release from a Swiss prison after he was jailed over the weekend for a statutory rape conviction dating back to the 1970s.
Others who have signed the free Polanski petition, backed by France's Society of Dramatic Authors and Composers, include David Lynch, Michael Mann, Darren Aronofsky, Terry Gilliam, Harvey Weinstein, Tilda Swinton and Monica Bellucci.
Polanski was arrested while en route to accept a lifetime achievement award from the Zurich International Film Festival. U.S. authorities are hoping to extradite the 76-year-old star, who has managed to escape sentencing for more than 30 years. In 1978, he was charged with drugging and then having unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl at the home of Jack Nicholson. The charges were later dropped as part of a plea bargain, with the director admitting to a lesser charge of unlawful sex with a minor.
The victim in the case, Samantha Geimer, has publicly said that she has already forgiven Polanski and feels he has been treated unfairly. Geimer, now a mother of four, also believes Polanski should remain free. However, not everyone shares that opinion, including singer-songwriter Jewel.
"Polanski-admitted raping a 13 yr old-whys every1 in the arts upset hes facing jail? cause hes a gifted director? what am i missing?" she wondered Wednesday on her Twitter page.
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