Η Evdokia Roumelioti is the actress who first years ago had spoken openly about the unacceptable - as she had said - behavior of George Kimoulis as part of their collaboration in the performance «Educating Rita». Indeed, the Evdokia Roumelioti had walked out of the show due to anti-conspiratorial behavior and had stated in interviews: «I was terribly patient, but I couldn't take it anymore.. So it was a beautiful replacement. We were only two people, there was no saving. It was with this particular colleague. We don't talk, he's a person I wouldn't want to be associated with.».
In the wake of the complaint by Zeta Douka, η Evdokia Roumelioti was on the show «Let's go Danae» and explained in detail her own experience in relation to all that has been heard about George Kimoulis:
«Since yesterday when I've been following this issue, and while after all these years I feel that my anger and rage should have passed, I have understood why they haven't. They haven't gone away because it's not just about the incident, but also about the protagonist himself. The man himself who is involved in this whole story. Can't all these people who have abused their fellow human beings in some way or other not coming out to say sorry...a simple apology nothing more. And instead, try to using various excuses to victimize themselves and report reality in a completely different way.».
Evdokia Roumelioti: «We all know the behaviour of a particular person in the space»
The actress continued her speech: «In this space we are few and far between and we know each other very, very well. Mr Kimoulis can't come out and say on the main newscast that at this moment Zeta and I and everyone else who will talk about all this remembered it. That now we remembered his behaviour, because it has become fashionable and stepping on the top act of Sophia Bekatorou. We've always said that, but we were just talking amongst ourselves and the this man's reputation precedes his presence. We all know within the room the behaviours of that particular person.
Mr Kimoulis came out and said yesterday that Zeta - whom I admire and who is brave - was a great actress at the time. Well, I was not a great actress. I was a 25 year old girl, it was my third show, I wasn't a leading lady, I didn't have that power in the room to be able to speak. I thought that if I went out to talk and confronted George Kimoulis I would have made a bad start in the theatre and I would have I made a living at this job. I was making my money to live off this job.».
«I had serious damage to my vocal cords - he abused me mentally»
Η Evdokia Roumelioti told how left the show mentioning Lakis Lazopoulos saying: «This is one of the worst experiences of my life. After working with this man I married a man. a very, very serious problem with my vocal cords. I was putting myself through the show with cortisone injections so I could be on stage and talk. I've paid unbelievable amounts of money to doctors to fix my vocal cords.
I started rehearsing with this man and I was terribly happy for this performance which we did at the Bretania Theatre. In rehearsals everything went great. It all started from the moment we got on stage. This man mentally abused me. The bullying that I have suffered is something that I feel I will never get over. After my collaboration with Giorgos Kimoulis I was afraid to go on stage. I didn't think I could ever play again - that I have no voice to speak. Where I was playing he was cursing me vulgarly, I was on stage trying to do my job and he was coming up behind me and I can't say on the air all the things I had to hear in my ear.
I came out and spoke from the first moment. I tried to protect the people in my space. I never hid what I've been through with George Kimoulis and I also spoke to the artistic director Lakis Lazopoulos and when I tried to get along with him (Kimoulis) and I went and asked him «Why tell me why», I didn't get an answer. I still don't know to this day why I went through all that. Fortunately, I then met people within that space who supported me who supported me and eventually I stayed in the space.
I didn't make it through the season and had to close the theatre. Saturday night, Athens theatre full, big success and I left to go home. I was afraid to go and get my things from my dressing room and I was accompanied by my mother.
I was huddling at intermission of the show, afraid to be in my dressing room, and go to the toilet and sit on the toilet until 15 minutes have passed before I can get back on stage. To his credit - I want to mention it - to the credit of Lakis Lazopoulos, who was the artistic director of the theatre at the time, he didn't know me, I didn't know him, he told me “your mental health and balance is above the performance. If you can't live up to it you should immediately close the theatre.”.
George Kimoulis had never been physically violent against me. It had become verbal. The man didn't sexually harass me either and I'm left with a big “why”. Why do I have to hear all these terrible words whispering in my ear while I was just trying to do my job and nothing else.
It's sad that unfortunately Mr Kimoulis doesn't understand. None of us is coming to claim anything from him if he would come out and say a simple apology, but even yesterday .... all these people are still trying to distort reality and present events completely different from what happened.
The reason I do it so openly now is because I'm not afraid anymore, I'm not afraid of anyone anymore, I'm not a young kid starting out now and afraid that tomorrow I won't get a job again. We've heard this one, “because after 13 years. Every person has their own time to mature all this and to come out and speak and moreover now is the time to be heard because when I came out and spoke about it it passed in small print” said Evdokia Roumelioti in her interview about George Kimoulis.
