Movie director Fred Schepisi says stigma will remain even if Rush wins defamation case

Renowned Australian director and producer Fred Schepisi has told a court the stigma of the allegation against Geoffrey Rush will remain with the actor even if he wins his defamation battle against The Daily Telegraph.

The Golden Globe nominee, whose movies include The Devil’s Playground, Six Degrees of Separation and Plenty, said the sexual nature of the claims – where the “reprehensible” reports “put him in the same league as some rather disgusting people” – could linger in Hollywood.

Movie director Fred Schepisi leaves Sydney Federal Court earlier today

In an often irritable exchange with Daily Telegraph barrister Tom Blackburn, Schepisi lambasted the “disgusting overkill” of the newspaper’s reports and its “trial by media”.