When Sydney Theatre Company manager Annelies Crowe found actor Eryn Jean Norvill in distress at a party, she "assumed" that Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush was the reason, "knowing Geoffrey's reputation".
A memo released as part of the Federal Court file on Mr Rush's defamation claim against The Daily Telegraph details concerns raised by Ms Norvill, who acted with Mr Rush in a 2015-16 production of King Lear.
It was written by Ms Crowe, then Sydney Theatre Company's casting manager, who noticed Ms Norvill was distressed at a closing-night party and followed up her concerns with a meeting in April 2016.
It was addressed to STC executive director Patrick McIntyre and started: "The matter involves Eryn Jean Norvill and Geoffrey Rush. EJ asked me to meet her yesterday where she revealed that she was sexually harassed on multiple occasions by Geoffrey Rush during rehearsals and the season of King Lear."
It says that at a party after King Lear ended, she noticed Ms Norvill was upset.
Ms Crowe asked Ms Norvill "if she wanted to talk, and she said not tonight but soon".
"Knowing Geoffrey's reputation I'm afraid I'd assumed he may have been the cause but didn't want to push her at the time," Ms Crowe wrote.
Mr Rush is suing News Corp, publisher of Sydney's The Daily Telegraph, over a poster and two articles in late 2017 that said the Sydney Theatre Company had received a complaint accusing him of "inappropriate behaviour" towards a cast member, who was later identified as Ms Norvill.
Mr Rush says the articles accused him of being a "pervert, a sexual predator and of inappropriate behaviour of a sexual nature".
Ms Norvill testified on Wednesday that she told Ms Crowe at the party that she was "not doing okay".
"I had had a bad time with Geoffrey and I think I need some mental health support," Ms Norvill said she told Ms Crowe.
She denied telling Ms Crowe that Mr Rush followed her into a toilet at the party, but said he was "behind her at one stage".
Mr McClintock asked if an email from Ms Crowe to STC management – sent after she met Ms Norvill in April – suggested she "told him to f--k off".
No. I can't remember what I said, but I do remember yelling."
'Tried a few different strategies'
The email says: "At this point EJ broke down, fell to the floor, told him to leave, he said nothing and left. This was the first time she saw some recognition in his face that he realised he had crossed a line."
It says Ms Norvill tried "a few different strategies in the beginning, laughing it off, ignoring him, and trying to dissuade him".
"Once she felt uncomfortable, she directly said to him that his behaviour and comments were making her feel uncomfortable and she would like him to stop, which he didn't.
"As they went into the theatre, things progressively got worse to where she felt quite afraid when she was backstage. Other members of the cast would have seen him touching her back stage, but didn't do anything.
"At it's worse, when he had to carry her on as a dead body, he would grope her as he picked her up, and when she was lying on the stage 'dead', he would grope her with the hand that was upstage of the audience."
Mr McClintock bristled at Ms Norvill: "You told Ms Crowe a whole pack of disgusting lies about my client. Do you agree with that or not?
Ms Norvill: "No, I don't."
The trial continues.