Roman Polanski felt persecuted for Sharon Tate’s murder

Venice, Aug 30 (IANS) French-Polish filmmaker Roman Polanski says he felt persecuted by the media and people on social media for his late wife and actress Sharon Tate's murder by members of the Charles Manson family.

In press notes for his latest film "J'Accuse" at the Venice Film Festival, Polanski said that his image has been negatively shaped by the media since Tate's murder in 1969, reports thewrap.com.

"The way people see me, my image, did indeed start to form with Sharon Tate's death," Polanski said.

"When it happened, even though I was already going through a terrible time, the press got hold of the tragedy and, unsure of how to deal with it, covered it in the most despicable way, implying, among other things, that I was one of the people responsible for her murder, against a background of satanism," he added.

Tate's henious murder has once again come into spotlight with Quentin Tarantino's latest film "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood", with Margot Robbie playing Tate and Rafal Zawierucha playing Polanski.

Polanski asserted that he was persecuted for months until the Manson family members were identified, adding that it continues to haunt him.

"All this still haunts me today. Anything and everything. It is like a snowball, each season adds another layer. Absurd stories by women I have never seen before in my life who accuse me of things which supposedly happened more than half a century ago," he added.

Apart from the murder, Polanski remains a controversial figure. In 1977, he was arrested for drugging and raping 13-year-old Samantha Geimer. He pleaded guilty to statutory rape but fled to Europe before completing his sentence.

The premiere of "J'Accuse" at Venice film fest marks his first public appearance at a major film festival since losing his membership to the Academy in 2018.