Stunt coordinator Joel Kramer has had two more sexual misconduct allegations leveled against him and one involves a 10th-grade girl who came to visit the set of Virus back in 1997.
Laura Albert, who worked as a stunt woman for Kramer on True Lies & Virus, says that her sister and her sister’s friend visited the Virus set in Wilmington, North Carolina, in February or March of 1997. Albert would not identify the girl – now in her 30s – “because she does not want me to.”
Albert had this to say about the incident:
“I invited my younger sister to the set as she resided there. I wanted her to come to the set in an effort to mentor her, to show her the motion picture industry from the inside, as she had desired to become a makeup artist. One day after we finished work, I had my sister and her friend, who were 15 and 16 and in the 10th grade, come out to hang with all the stunt personnel as we were going to go go-karting. I wanted her to have the experience of having some ‘good clean fun’ in the setting of a professional industry. That night, after going karting, the stunt department had to leave as we all had early calls the next day. Unbeknownst to me, my boss, Joel Kramer, had lured the girls to go swimming at the pool in his hotel. It wasn’t until a month later that I learned of the events that happened that night. Kramer brought the girls back to the hotel to swim, and that while the three of them were in the pool, “he pulled his dick out and said, ‘You cannot handle this,’ and then began to swim towards them. That’s when my sister left. Even today, she feels guilty for having left her friend. My sister ended up leaving and she left her friend there with Joel. Joel had sex with the 16-year-old girl. She was 16. He was 39. His room number was 424.”
Albert has stated that she and the women involved, who are all now grown and with children of their own, refer to the incident in code as 424, a reference to Kramer’s room number at the time. The scenario sounds eerily similar to the events that Eliza Dushku, 12 years old at the time she was filming True Lies, described in her revelation of abuse at the hands of Joel Kramer.
Dushku claims that Kramer sexually assaulted her in Miami when she was 12 after taking a swim in his hotel pool during a break in production of True Lies. Dushku’s account of the events is supported by her mother, her brother, her former agent, a longtime friend and her legal guardian at the time. Also speaking up today is Jamie Lee Curtis, who played Dushku’s mother in True Lies. Curtis has stated that “she shared that story with me privately a few years ago. I was shocked and saddened then and still am today.” Also defending Dushku is director James Cameron, who helmed True Lies but was unaware of the incident at the time. He defended her bravery of the account and revealing while also saying that had he known at the time, he would’ve taken swift action against Krammer. So far the only high profile performer from True Lies to not comment on this issue is Arnold Schwarzenegger. His opinion could be interesting since Kramer was also known to double him for stunts on film projects.
Meanwhile, another stunt woman has also come forward with a claim that Kramer sexually assaulted her in the late 1970s or early ’80s. The woman, who asked to remain anonymous, wasn’t sure of the exact date but said it was a few years after she’d entered the business. Allegedly the assault occurred one night in the San Fernando Valley after she and a group of stunt people had gotten together for a drink. She goes on to say this about the incident:
“It was then decided to go to a different place. It was also suggested that we car-pool due to parking. I ended up in Joel Kramer’s vehicle. Other than I knew him by face, we had never worked together, he had never hired me, and we were not dating – nor was I looking to date him. It was just a group of stunt people getting together. When I got into Joel’s vehicle, instead of driving me to the other place, he drove us up into the hills on the south side of Ventura Boulevard into a quiet residential area. He pulled his vehicle over, unzipped his pants, pulled out his penis. He grabbed me by the back of my head and forced my face down onto his penis and came in my mouth. He then released my head and cleaned himself up. I must have as well. I really don’t remember if he gave me tissues. I cannot remember if words were exchanged of any type, but he did drive me to the other place, where the group had gone.”
Like most women who have come forward with allegations of harassment or assault, she didn’t come forward sooner due to the fear of not being able to work in the industry again. She ends her statement by saying:
“I did not tell anyone, because I was frightened, scared and ashamed. I also knew that if I were to report this to the stunt group, the police or SAG, I would have no chance in a career as a stunt woman.”
To his credit, Kramer has denied all of these allegations or paints a different picture of certain allegations. He vehemently denied Dushku’s claims and said that he and his stunt team treated her like a daughter on and off the set. This is what he had to say in response to Dushku’s claims that sparked that latest flood of allegations against him:
“These are outlandish, manipulated lies. I never sexually molested her. I’m sick to my stomach. It’s not true. I think she’s making this up in her imagination. This is all lies. Lies, lies, lies. This is just crazy. I treated her like a daughter. We all looked out for her.”
His response to Albert’s claims are a series of sort of denials but also acknowledging that some of it is true but not as lurid as suggested. Kramer says:
“I did not invite the two girls up to my room. One girl on her own came to my room as she was legal age. The stunt crew all stay at that hotel. I was swimming laps one early evening and the sister of one of my stunt doubles and her friend showed up at the pool. I did not invite them. They swam around and I finished my laps and went up to my room alone. Period. You don’t know me, but I am not a liar. Thirty minutes later there was a knock at my door and her friend was there and asked to come in. She came in and we fooled around but no intercourse. She left about 1/2 hour later. I honestly did not know she was 17. Tattoos, and yes, pretty. When I found out I was devastated. I also checked with the local laws and found out 16 was the consensual age. It bothered me for years. Yes all was consensual.”
The age of consent is 16 where this occurred in North Carolina. Albert responded to his denials aggressively but also acknowledged that they felt like they were backed into a corner due to the laws but also knowing that the incident was morally wrong. Albert goes on to say:
“He’s a liar. I’ll go toe-to-toe with him to his face. He lured the girls after we went to our rooms that night after go-karting. He’s so full of sh*t. I questioned the girl and asked her what happened. She had tears streaming down her eyes. She told me that he had sex with her. I was so angry. After I found out, I called the Wilmington Police Department to see what the law was about statutory rape. I was told that the legal age of consent in the state of N.C. was 16. The next day I went to work and confronted Joel Kramer. It was just he and I in his stunt trailer and I point blank said to him: ‘I’m going to ask you one question, and if you lie to me, I am going to let the parents come in and go to the producers and let all of hell rain down on you. Did you have sex with her?’ And he said ‘Yes.’ He went on to try to vindicate himself, but it was too late. I said to him, ‘I’m not going to go back to LA and talk about this, but if I am asked, I am not going to lie for you.’ And that is how I still feel today.”
The story is also supported by another stuntman on the film Virus. He was just breaking into the business at the time and said this about the incident:
“I was told by Laura and her sister that Joel had sex with a 16-year-old girl, and to me that was morally wrong. It wasn’t right. So I said to Laura, ‘We gotta do something.’ So we called the police and they informed Laura that 16 was the legal age of consent. It might be legal but as a moral issue, it’s gross. I was just grossed out by the situation. I told who I could tell, but nothing happened. I spoke to a couple of the older stuntmen, and they said they didn’t think it was right either. So the question is: Did the studio production system fail this girl, or was it the legal system? Or both? I was a brand new stunt guy and he was my boss. He was the biggest stunt coordinator in the business. Joel was powerful and could affect people’s careers, and did.”
As for the incident with the stuntwoman in the 70s or 80s, Kramer has also said this is a fabrication. He went on to say this about her claims:
“It saddens me that now people will use me as their target of opportunity. Please do not take these at face value. I am sorry for this witch hunt. I have been upfront and truthful on all facets. I am not this damned A-hole the media and others portrays me as. I am so depressed and shocked over all of this. There’s nothing I can say or do that many just want to chastise myself and kick me to the curb. We all make mistakes, but do I have to pay dearly for those that are not of my doing?”
Kramer, who worked as a stunt coordinator as recently on Blade Runner 2049, was also dropped by his agent after the Dushku allegations. It would seem that many in the industry are siding with the detailed accounts of the victims involved. Only time will tell how this plays out but I think this is only the beginning.
