Standing in front of a ballroom full of reporters at a Television Critics Association press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Rose McGowan took the opportunity to highlight the media's role in Hollywood's ongoing sexual assault problem.
Deadline reports that McGowan said she's been "painted as crazy" by the press. Directly addressing the reporters on hand, she continued, "That is what a lot of people in your job have done to me for years—and they were paid to do it." After being one of the first victims to publicly come forward with accusations against Harvey Weinstein, McGowan says the media is finally realizing that "this person I thought was crazy and weird" has "something coming out of her mouth that might make sense."
"Do you understand what I’ve been through for 20 years?" a determined McGowan remarked during the press appearance for her forthcoming documentary series, Citizen Rose. According to Vox, she added, "Do you understand that my sitting here is a miracle? I have fought. I have clawed. I have scraped. And I have done it strategically, so I could arrive at this moment."
McGowan also criticizes Hollywood's quiet protest of the Golden Globes, saying, "People see on the outside, they see the red carpet. I see behind the scenes. So I know a lot of things. I think the system is massively broken. That’s a Band-Aid to make yourself feel better about what you’ve all known about, and been silent witnesses to and/or participants in that silence—and no, I do not forgive."
Two days earlier, she had blasted the protests on Twitter, writing, "Not one of those fancy people wearing black to honor our rapes would have lifted a finger had it not been so."
Debuting January 30 on E!, McGowan's five-part Citizen Rose series will chronicle her ongoing activism work aimed at raising awareness about sexual assault. Tuesday afternoon, she explained, "It's not just a show about women. It’s about humanity and freeing your mind and looking at things differently."
Near the end of the press conference, a reporter asked if she had been called as a witness in Harvey Weinstein's criminal case. McGowan answered, "No, we’re not there yet."
