Jamie Foxx: "If It Had Been My Daughter… Roman Polanski Would Be Missing"
LOS ANGELES (CBS/AP) - "If it had been my daughter who was barely a teenager — my daughter is 15 — Roman Polanski would be missing ... period."
Photos: Polanski, A Life in Pictures
Those are the words that Academy Award-winning actor, stand-up comedian, and singer Jamie Foxx had for convicted sex offender Roman Polanski, during an interview with Parade Magazine this week.
"It wouldn't even get to the court case. But, that's me and I wouldn't want anyone else to follow that because you should let the justice system work it out," he told the magazine.
Polanski, the director of such film classics as "Rosemary's Baby" and "Chinatown" has been wanted by U.S. authorities since fleeing sentencing 31 years ago after he was charged with plying an underage girl with champagne and part of a Quaalude pill during a modeling shoot in 1977, and raping her.
He was initially indicted on six felony counts, including rape by use of drugs, child molesting and sodomy.
He pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of unlawful sexual intercourse. In exchange, the judge agreed to drop the remaining charges and sentence him to prison for a 90-day psychiatric evaluation. But Polanski fled the country when he became convinced the judge would increase his sentence. Technically, he has been on the lam ever since, but has moved freely across Europe and continued to make films.
Foxx said that his perspective might have been different had he known the award-winning director on a personal level, but he feels that the nature of the crime transcends any warm feelings.
"This whole issue is bigger than Roman Polanski," Foxx said.
This comes in the wake of Swiss authorities arresting and holding Polanksi. A Swiss judge is currently debating whether or not to send him back to the United States to face Los Angeles prosecutors.
Polanski was arrested on a fugitive warrant Sept. 26 as he arrived in Zurich to receive an award from a film festival. Switzerland says there has been an international warrant out on him since 2005.
Photos: Polanski, A Life in Pictures
In court papers, Polanski's lawyers said that they met with U.S. Deputy Assistant Attorney General Bruce Swartz last week and urged that the American government not submit a formal extradition request to Switzerland for Polanski's return.
They contended that he has already fully served his sentence.
The 76-year-old director lost his first bid for release on bail this week, but his lawyers are pursuing other avenues.
The Swiss judge indicated he was going to send Polanski back to jail for the remainder of the 90 days he failed to serve 31 years ago and that afterward he would ask Polanski to agree to a "voluntary deportation."
Photos: Polanski, A Life in Pictures
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