Argento, 43, is one of the leading voices of the MeToo movement, which campaigns against sexual harassment in the entertainment industry and beyond.

Last month, The New York Times reported she paid off Bennett to settle accusations that she sexually assaulted him. The actress confirmed a payment was made, but denied any "sexual relationship".

Speaking to Italian TV La7, Argento talked about watching Bennett confirm the abuse allegations last week, in an interview he gave to the same broadcaster.

It "made me a bit angry, but, above all, I felt pity for him," as Bennett is "a child who did not manage to continue his career, and therefore a lost soul," she said.

She accused Bennett of "blackmail, extortion."

According to the New York Times, the pair met in a California hotel room in 2013, when Bennett was 17. In California the age of consent is 18.

Last month, Argento said her late partner, celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, agreed to give money to Bennett to help him through "severe economic problems".

Bourdain was found dead in a hotel room in June. He was 61.

An emotional Argento told La7 that she saw "the abyss, desperation," after Bourdain's death, and "felt guilty for not having seen his pain."

Argento was one of the first actresses to denounce Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein as a sexual predator. She accused him of raping her in 1997, when she was 21.

Australian Associated Press