this is "nightline." >> tonight, weinstein witness. the actress known for facing down tony soprano -- >> so what, you can't talk to me about your problems? >> i don't want to bother you with it. >> now annabella sciorra taking the stand to say harvey weinstein raped her. >> i just admire her courage. >> her high-powered "me too" attorney on the first testimony against the fallen media mogul. >> what happened on that night? >> then, goal oriented. first beckham, then ronaldo. now the 21-year-old from hershey, pennsylvania. christian pulisic quickly becoming one of the biggest names in soccer. our heart to heart with the heartthrob playing the field. >> i get excited still every time i walk out. >> "nightline" will be right back.

♪ good evening. thanks for joining us. tonight the riveting, often emotional testimony at the harvey weinstein rape trial. the hollywood actress accusing the ex-movie mogul of a brutal sexual attack decades ago.

her attorney gloria allred, known for taking on powerful men and feminist causes, came straight from the courtroom to sit down with us tonight. >> i'm so proud of her that she did it. and she did it in such a way, dignified, calm, clear. >> reporter: firebrand attorney gloria allred, fresh from the courtroom and the media frenzy surrounding the trial of disgraced movie mogul harvey weinstein. sitting down to reflect on the epic events unfolding in front of her eyes. her client, annabella sciorra, became the first woman ever to accuse weinstein of rape in a criminal court. >> the courage she's shown she knew it would have to come out in a court of law. it could never be maintained as private. she was still willing to do it. >> reporter: sciorra says weinstein raped her more than 25 years ago. what happened on that night? >> she was at dinner. there were a number of people there. mr. weinstein offered to drop her off at her home. she accepted. she went upstairs and got ready for bed, got into her nightgown, was preparing to go to bed, and suddenly there was a knock on

the door. >> reporter: it was weinstein. sciorra says he forced his way into her manhattan apartment and pushed her into the bedroom. >> he took her arms and locked them over her head, and so therefore she couldn't do anything. >> reporter: sciorra said on the stand she was punching him, kicking him, just trying to get him away from me. >> reporter: sciorra, who became emotional at times, said weinstein raped her. he then forcibly performed oral sex on her, telling her "this is for you." >> she is giving an account of harvey weinstein raping her. it was emotional, and it was powerful. and the question's going to be do the jurors believe it? >> reporter: the actress testified that weeks later she ran into weinstein at a restaurant and confronted him. she claims he threatened her, saying "this remains between you and i. his eyes were black. i thought he was going to hit me right there." the 59-year-old is most famous for her emmy-nominated role --

>> hey. >> reporter: -- as tony soprano's mistress on "the sopranos." >> you have good taste. >> reporter: she was an up-and-coming actress in hollywood in the early '90s, starring in movies like "the hand that rocks the cradle." >> how did you come to be a nanny? >> reporter: when she says the rape took place. sciorra says at the time she confided in her friend and fellow actress rosie perez. she told her she'd been raped, only revealing months later it was weinstein who did it. perez took the stand today, testifying that a distraught sciorra was crying. perez says she encouraged her friend to go to the police but sciorra refused saying, "i can't. he's going to destroy me." >> the details that rosie perez provide are entirely consistent with the details that annabella offered on the witness stand. >> rosie was a very powerful witness today. she stood her ground. she did not let the defense undercut what she had said. she repeated it several times, what she says that annabella

told her. >> reporter: the defense team told abc news in a statement, "the only opinions that matter are the jurors'. ms. allred's job is the easiest. she watches other people try cases." weinstein's defense team pressed perez on why she didn't tell authorities about her friend's alleged rape. sciorra never reported it either. >> there are many reasons that many women never report it. some blame themselves for what happened. wrongfully blame themselves. if i went to the police, would they believe me? would they do anything? they may fear loss of professional opportunities. who will believe them? against a rich powerful famous man. >> reporter: the defense team tried to undermine sciorra's credibility, claiming she showed up intoxicated to the set of the 1993 movie "the night we never met," which she denies. >> i keep trying to tell him, but it's like he just doesn't want to listen. >> annabella sciorra. >> reporter: the defense also questioned her honesty to a 1997 appearance on david letterman in which sciorra says -- >> i have a bad reputation.

i was caught recently in the last couple years lying about quite a few things. >> what do you make of that? it was supposed to be a dramatic courtroom moment. >> that's a late-night comedy show with david letterman. nobody's under oath. it's just a bunch of jokes. this is not a joke. >> reporter: one area the defense team tried to exploit, sciorra's uncertainty about the exact date the alleged rape took place. tonight weinstein's defense added in a statement to abc news, "it's more convenient that way. no way for mr. weinstein to potentially show he was elsewhere." >> you have to judge the honesty of the witness. can you trust this witness's credibility or not? i think she came across extremely well. >> reporter: my colleague amy robach sat down with weinstein's attorney donna rotunnon november. >> annabella has told so many different stories. her first line of conversation about this was that absolutely nothing ever happened with harvey and then it evolved and the story kept changing. >> she says the chances of

charging weinstein publicly would change her life permanently and she wasn't prepared to face that because of all the scrutiny. there was real intimidation going on. >> well, but did they feel intimidated or were they more concerned about what could potentially happen to them and were they willing to play a game that they then decided they weren't willing to play? >> reporter: sciorra told the court the alleged rape led to her drinking heavily and harming herself by cutting. >> sometimes she recalled she would slice her hands and fingers and paint a white wall on her apartment blood red. >> i wish i had known her then. and it just makes me admire her even more now, the courage that she's shown. it just breaks my heart to see what she was going through in those days and over the years. >> reporter: weinstein has denied all the allegations, saying any sexual relations were consensual.

the 67-year-old is on trial for five felony charges, which include rape and sexual assault. but sciorra's alleged rape is not one of them because it's past the statute of limitations. but prosecutors hope her testimony will demonstrate weinstein's alleged pattern of predatory behavior. more than 80 women have accused the disgraced movie mogul of sexual misconduct. many of them say he intimidated them into silence. newly released audio from journalist ronan farrow's "catch and kill" podcast seemingly shows weinstein threatening model amber gutierrez's career after she rejected his advances. >> if you don't trust me, then we have no reason to do anything and you will lose big opportunities. >> reporter: this trial is a watershed moment for many in the metoo movement including some of weinstein's accusers like rose mcgowan. >> the trial means so much to so many, but it will mean the most rs. >> reporter: but it focuses on the allegations of only two women. an unidentified woman who alleges weinstein raped her in a hotel room in 2013 and mimi haleyi who says weinstein forced

himself on her in 2006 when she was working as a production assistant. >> women have the right to say no, and that was a no, regardless of the circumstances. >> it was very embarrassing. it was very humiliating. but she will testify to that. and more. >> reporter: haleyi is also represented by allred, who spent her career fighting for women's rights. allred has become a tireless force in the metoo movement, representing dozens of women with allegations against men like jeffrey epstein, bill cosby, and r. kelly. >> the criminal justice system is actually starting to prosecute these famous men. >> this is a seismic legal shift. >> it is. i give all credit to the women. that really to me is what the metoo movement is all about. it's about the empowerment of women.

i am going to take that rage about what he has done to me and the fact that i've had to live with this secret for many years, i'm going to turn it into positive action. >> reporter: allred is convinced that regardless of the verdict in the weinstein case the "me too" movement is a moment of reckoning. >> it's not just the reckoning in the culture. it's the legal reckoning. it's about justice now. it's not just about truth telling. it's about the culture saying okay, we are going to work to make persons who are alleged to be predators accountable to their victims. >> and of course that trial continuing next week. and when we come back, the sweet athlete from hershey, pennsylvania tough on the soccer field, easy on the eyes. ♪ [shouting] [clapping and shouting]

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back now with the exceptional talent rocking the sports world. hershey, pennsylvania his home town but soccer his sweet spot. rising star christian pulisic kicking it up tonight with our maggie rulli. >> this is pretty cool. >> yeah. >> do you still get excited? >> i get more excited when it's full of fans. >> reporter: when you picture an international soccer superstar, who do you see? >> beckham! >> reporter: beckham lighting it up for england. >> david beckham rescues england. >> reporter: or ronaldo's splashy bicycle kicks.

there's messi. >> in and to the back of the net, messi! >> reporter: neymar. all with their slick hair, sleeve tattoos and near-nude cologne ads. yep. all the trappings of a global soccer icon. >> soccer is the number one sport in the world. we look at the lebron jameses of the world and the tiger woods of the world and say they are superstars. which they are. but times that by a thousand because that is what messi and cristiano ronaldo are around the world. look at neymar in brazil. look at messi in argentina, ronaldo in europe. >> reporter: but in a world of one-name hunks with their barely there boxers, you might not picture this guy. a sweet all-american dude from hershey, pennsylvania. there's not many big name soccer players out of hershey, pennsylvania. >> probably not a lot, no. the sweetest place on earth as we like to call it. >> reporter: yes, at just 21 years old christian pulisic is

taking over the sports world. his vicious crossover and clutch kicks. >> and he scores! what a moment for christian pulisic! >> reporter: have made him the hottest young name in men's soccer. and a big part of why chelsea, you know that massively successful team across the pond, paid a record $73 million for christian and made him the most expensive american soccer player of all time. valuing him right up there with soccer legends like ronaldo. teammates even dubbing him captain america. >> captain america! lovely assist. >> reporter: before we keep going let's clear something up. we call this sport soccer. but here in the uk they call it football. >> do you say soccer or football? >> now here i kind of have to say football if i don't want to get made fun of. but it will also be soccer to me i guess because football is, you know, american football. >> reporter: soccer, or football, is one of the most played sports in the united states but it only really minat ball routily do --ll, and

i >> reporter: when the world cup rolls around once every four years. and while the u.s. women have dominated the international stage and made generational stars out of their players like mia hamm and megan rapinoe, american men have never seemed to rise to the level of soccer superstardom. >> soccer's so huge in the states, right? but we don't have a ton of these international superstars. why do you think that is? >> a lot of our best athletes generally are in other sports. but i think it is to say things are changing. there's already players playing in germany and now playing here. i think we're going to see a lot more in the next couple years. hopefully, you know, doing similar things to this and playing in the premier league. and i think it's definitely a good time for american soccer. >> reporter: which makes christian truly unique. >> in sports oftentimes we remember the first. christian pulisic, he is the first. pulisic going to chelsea for over $70 million, that is a watershed moment for the

american soccer player. >> reporter: there's all these fans looking down at you. do you ever feel extra pressure being the american out there? >> i don't really think of it like that, to be honest. i don't see myself as american. i just see myself as part of the team. but people, you know, they always try to put that extra pressure, the american. but like i said, i try not to think about it. >> yeah. that's good. no pressure. i'm not adding extra pressure. i'm just reminding you of your roots. >> reporter: now, he may just be the hottest thing here at chelsea football club arena. back home in hershey, pennsylvania -- >> this is this is the first time he got the 10. >> reporter: he's still the hometown kid to mom and dad. >> i don't think it will ever get to his head. he understands how things can go. >> probably harder for him getting out in big crowds than people realize because he is really more of a shy soft-spoken kind of guy. >> reporter: kelley and mark pulisic were star soccer players themselves. >> both of us played soccer collegiately. and then i played professionally.

>> at 2 years old my husband and i both saw a very strong athletic ability. both of us being into sport and being into teaching, we knew that he had a gift. >> what were some of the big life lessons your parents taught you that sticks with you today? ust kind of putting confidence in me. just telling me to always believe in myself no matter who i'm playing against, no matter where i come from. >> reporter: christian took that confidence and at just 15 he moved to germany determined to become a pro. >> yeah, it was terrifying, to be honest. it was kind of a big sacrifice. i didn't know what was going to happen. i didn't speak any german. i just had huge dreams, and i thought why not go for it? >> reporter: but pursuing that dream 4,000 miles away from the police he called home came with its challenges. >> we decided as parents the best thing to do is separate and start in dortmund, germany. we were up for the challenge because we wanted everybody to be happy. >> it was difficult for christian. i was overseas with him. and he missed his mom and his

sister so much more than they would ever know. but he stayed very focused on accomplishing what he wanted to do, and that was become a first team player in dortmund. >> reporter: the big gamble paid off. just 16 when he signed with german powerhouse borussia dortmund. a year later the wonder kid started making his mark, scoring goal after goal. >> pulisic! oh, yes! >> and he scores! >> reporter: it wasn't long before the biggest soccer league in the world came knocking. >> what a moment for christian -- >> this is where i wanted to be my whole life, playing professionally for a massive club, playing for chelsea. it's the biggest honor in the world. and i've loved it so far. >> while you were training and had to leave the u.s. for europe, did you ever feel like you missed out on anything growing up? >> definitely. but there were also things i got to come home for. >> what did you make it home for? >> i made it home for my senior prom. the next morning early flew to kansas city and played for the national team and scored my first international goal.

>> reporter: for america's first great soccer star he's only just getting started. so what about the little kid playing kinder kick back in the states? if they asked you how do i do what you're doing, what would you tell them? >> i would tell them to give it everything and if you really want something to dream big because that's what i did. >> reporter: for "nightline" i'm maggie rulli in london. and when we come back, the power in a single step. a mom and daughter's remarkable journey. journey. (whistling)

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and and finally tonight, for any parent a child's first steps are proud moments. but especially for mom chanel jones from north carolina. her daughter kinley battling cerebral palsy. many hospital visits and setbacks. but mom documenting their slow and steady progress over the years. and just this month kinley's magical first steps. >> keep going. >> i want to go to the house.

>> you want to go to the house? we can go wherever you want to go. look at you! >> their victory seen by millions online. chanel telling us it brings joy to her heart that kinley's journey brings so much hope. wow. just keep going, kinley. and this reminder. abc news live launches monday night february 3rd. streaming breaking news, context and analysis across all your devices. that's "nightline." good night, america. thanks for staying up with us. have a great weekend.

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