Thandiwe Newton has developed “a seventh sense for abuse and abusers” after she became a victim of an unnamed director’s misconduct at the age of 16.

The Westworld star admitted the incident left her with post-traumatic stress disorder for some time, but it also helped keep her away from dangerous predators on and off movie sets.

“There’s a moment where the ghost of me changed, you know. And it was then, (I) was 16,” Newton told British Vogue.

“He (abuser) derailed me from myself utterly. I was traumatised. It was a kind of PTSD for sure. I was so distraught and appalled that a director had abused a young actress, and that it was happening elsewhere, minors getting abused and how f**ked up it was,” she went on.

Insisting: “I have a seventh sense for abuse and abusers which I believe is one of the reasons why I was rejected a lot in Hollywood,” the actress said she would never drop the issue.

“I’ll talk about it until the cows come home, because I know I’ll be helping someone,” she proclaimed.

Elsewhere in the interview, the actress asserted that her name is spelt “Thandiwe” and not “Thandie” as has been commonly reported. The mistake occurred after she was credited as “Thandie” in her first role and, subsequently, every role since.

Explaining her reclamation of the name, which means “beloved” in Shona, Newton shared: “That’s my name. It’s always been my name. I’m taking back what’s mine.”

– Cover Media