Rose McGowan on Alyssa Milano, Meryl Streep and her thoughts of the Hollywood system that she says enabled Weinstein
McGowan says she wants to put a stop to what she calls "the system."
— -- Rose McGowan has been a central figure when it comes to raising awareness about sexual harassment and sexual assault in Hollywood.
And like McGowan, actress Alyssa Milano has also received credit for helping to ignite the #MeToo movement and make it go viral.
However, when asked if she was proud of Milano, McGowan expressed different feelings for her former “Charmed” co-star.
“I don’t like her,” McGowan, 44, told ABC News “Nightline” co-anchor Juju Chang. “’Cause I think she’s a lie.”
When asked why she didn’t like Milano, McGowan said, “Do you think I don’t know these people?”
“I'm not looking at this from the outside. I have a lot of experience,” continued McGowan. “I know [Milano is] married to a CAA agent. Do the math. Who's behind Time’s Up? CAA. Where do they meet? CAA? Who needs good PR? CAA. Who are part of the pimp problem? CAA.” The Creative Artists Agency (CAA) did not respond to “Nightline’s” request for comment for this story.
“I am and always have been completely supportive of Rose and admire her bravery and speaking out about her experiences,” Milano said in a statement to “Nightline.” “My goal throughout the past few months with both #MeToo and the TimesUp movement has been to use my platform to give others a voice so we can all work together to stamp out sexual harassment and sexual assault.”
McGowan sat down for an extensive interview on “Nightline” about her new book “Brave” and her allegations that Harvey Weinstein raped her.
More than 90 women, including McGowan, have come forward to accuse the once powerful movie mogul of acts ranging from sexual misconduct to rape.
As a result of the investigations, Weinstein was fired from The Weinstein Company, losing his studio and his status in Hollywood. Weinstein is currently under investigation in Los Angeles, New York and the United Kingdom.
McGowan said she wants to put a stop to what she calls "the system" -- all the people that she alleges protected Weinstein by turning a blind eye to his misconduct, thus allowing it to continue for decades.
McGowan calls Hollywood “a cult” and says that Weinstein “was the de facto leader. He was thanked … equally with God. … Every time was a blow. It was a bullet.”
In statements to ABC News, an attorney for Weinstein said that Rose McGowan is looking to “promote her new book” and in doing so she “tries to smear Mr. Weinstein with a bold lie” adding that he denies her “allegations of non-consensual sexual contact and it is erroneous and irresponsible to conflate claims of inappropriate behavior and consensual sexual contact later regretted, with an untrue claim of rape.”
McGowan has used Twitter to call out Hollywood, notoriously even singling out actress Meryl Streep, also calling her “a lie.”
“It’s just more of, like, she’s the establishment,” McGowan said of Streep.
Though Streep has come out and said she was upset at the revelations about Weinstein and denied knowing any of the misconduct, McGowan said, “I think a lot of people just filed it under he does stuff to women.”
“Maybe she didn't know. Maybe she lives in such a rarefied ether that she did not know,” McGowan said of Streep. “Maybe she lives in such a perfect world that she didn't have to. But that's not my world.”
Streep has stated unequivocally that she “didn’t know.” In statements to media on and off camera, Streep, 68, has said, “What happened to Rose is unbearable. I have nothing but empathy and hope that she finds a way to heal. I really do.”In a written statement, Streep noted that Weinstein “needed us not to know this, because our association with him bought him credibility, an ability to lure young, aspiring women into circumstances where they would be hurt. He needed me much more than I needed him and he made sure I didn’t know.”
As for the women who’ve come forward about their alleged experiences with Weinstein, like Asia Argento and Annabella Sciorra, McGowan calls them “pure beings. They’re wonderful women.”
“Thank you for being brave,” McGowan said tearing up. “I know they’re having nightmares. I know it’s really triggering for so many of us out there. It’s traumatizing for all of us, you know? But it’s so necessary because it’s been there all along anyway, whether you want to look at it or not.”
