Chilean film director apologises over harassment claims

A

Chilean

film director accused of sexual harassment by eight actresses apologized for his actions today but denied being a sex pest.

Nicolas Lopez

, a famed director known for his comedies, said he was "in shock" over the allegations that appeared in local magazine on Saturday. "It hurts to see that they feel bad about what I did," said Lopez in a video shared by local media.




"For this I would like to say sorry and I hope that all of this will soon be cleared up," he added, looking visibly shaken.

Actress

and journalist

Daniela Ginestar

had claimed Lopez, 35, masturbated in front of her while "he projected onto a giant screen a video showing him having sex with a famous Chilean television personality."

Well-known actress and model

Josefina Montane

said in a 2014 meeting that Lopez "literally asked me if he could grab my tit." Lopez described his accusers as "friends and close acquaintances, with whom I had close relationships." "I'm not a stalker or an abuser. I might have been injudicious, a scoundrel, an imbecile, but I'm not that," he added.

But Lopez's apology brought more scorn from Ginestar, who said his video made her feel "even more violated." "Now it seems like he's the victim and we look like we're exaggerating," she said.