Thandie Newton appears in a still from her 2002 film, The Truth About Charlie. - Provided courtesy of Universal Studios / Ken Regan / Camera 5

Thandie Newton opens up about teenage affair with director John Duigan

06/08/2011 by Olivia Allin

Thandie Newton, who starred in "2012," recently opened up about a six-year affair she had with director John Duigan when she was a teenager.

The English actress said that she began seeing the director when she was 16 and went to Australia to audition for Duigan's 1991 film "Flirting," which also starred Nicole Kidman.

BET quoted Newton as telling InStyle magazine. "I was a very shy, very sweet girl. I wasn't in control of the situation. Would I have liked things to be different? Sure. But I can now value myself more for the way I got through it. I don't see myself as a victim... Part of me feels grateful I can accept the difficulties that came with that situation and be a more compassionate person myself."

The Australian director, who is 23-years her senior, has not commented. He had helmed 23 films, including "Romero," "Lawn Dogs," "The Parole Officer," "Sirens" and "Head in the Clouds." Newton also starred in Duigan's 1996 film, "The Leading Man" opposite Jon Bon Jovi.

Newton told the magazine that she was opening up about the affair to help others who are put in a similarly vulnerable situation, "so that teenagers can see they can resist and gain self-awareness."

The BAFTA-winning actress has appeared in 28 films, including "Mission Impossible II," "The Pursuit of Happyness" and "For Colored Girls."

Newton, 38, married to director Ol Parker in 1998. The couple have two daughters, Ripley, 11, and Nico, 7.