Emile Hirsch Charged With Felony Assault on Woman

Actor Emile Hirsch has been charged with felony assault for allegedly choking a female executive at the Sundance Film Festival last month.

The woman, Dani Bernfeld, works for Paramount Pictures as vice president of digital entertainment. The incident took place Jan. 25 at Tao nightclub in Park City, Utah.

According to court documents, Bernfeld was approached by Hirsch at about 3:15 a.m. Hirsch appeared intoxicated, and asked why she looked “so tough” and said she was a “rich kid” who should not be at Sundance. He then grabbed Bernfeld, but she pushed him away and he left the area with some friends.

Shortly after, Hirsch came up to Bernfeld from behind and wrapped his arm around her to put her in a chokehold, say the documents. Hirsch then pulled her across a table and onto the floor, where he landed on top of her. While on top of her, he wrapped his hands around her neck.

Bernfeld said she felt as though “the front and back of her throat were touching” and she remembers her vision going dark, reporting that she may have momentarily blacked out. Two bystanders pulled Hirsch off of Bernfeld.

Popular on Variety

A spokesman tells Variety that Hirsch was arrested that morning. His court date is currently set for March 16.

Hirsh is being charged with aggravated assault, a third degree felony. If convicted, he faces up to five years in the Utah State Prison.

The 29-year-old actor has starred in films including “Lone Survivor,” “Speed Racer” and “Into the Wild.”

TMZ first reported the story.

Must Read

Film
COVER | Sebastian Stan Tells All: Becoming Donald Trump and Starring in 2024’s Most Controversial Movie
By Andrew Wallenstein 3 weeks

Sign Up for Variety Newsletters

By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. // This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

ncG1vNJzZmiukae2psDYZ5qopV9nfXKBjpugs2eemsS0e8SmoKWdXZ22s7%2FCoWSaq6OWwq3AjKysp5yRo7CmecCcq6iqXay8rq3NZmhraGFpgHOEj25m

Martina Birk

Update: 2024-01-16

DashJ