THANDIE NEWTON - NEWTON RAN OFF IN TEARS AT PROSPECT OF RAPE SCENE

Hollywood beauty THANDIE NEWTON was left an emotional wreck when she arrived on the set of CRASH for the first time, because the controversial director immediately asked her if she was wearing any protected underwear.

The 32-year-old actress had just stepped off a plane from her native Britain and was so unprepared for film-maker PAUL HAGGIS' direct approach to filming a violent rape scene she ran off crying.

She says, "It was one of those feet-shuffling moments. I looked at my co-star, MATT DILLON, and he looked at me and Paul, unable to get his words out.

"Paul had just asked if I had any protected underwear, implying that we were going to take this scene a lot, lot further than it said in the script. This entailed Matt, who plays this extremely aggressive policeman, molesting me against a car while my well-to-do black husband (played by TERRENCE HOWARD) looks on, emasculated and helpless.

"I was very emotional and jet-lagged and tired, so I just burst into tears and ran off. The normal me would have argued, but I did it eventually, and I think my state of mind helped the scene."