I scare because I care. It’s a tagline from
Monsters, Inc. but it’s also what I really do.
My father said I was born with my fist up,
and my birthday card from him when I was
10 said, ‘Dear Rose, I’ve always admired
your sense of justice, happy birthday.’ I have
always loved living a private existence, but it
takes a warrior to plan what has gone down.
It was a long time coming to let go of that
existence and put that plan into place.
I can’t respect those who don’t respect
others. I’m speaking out with this program
because I’m really just trying to stop rapists
and child molesters. Raising awareness and
consciousness is important to me, and with
my television series and book [Brave] I’m
using every single available avenue at my
disposal to do that.
I don’t allow people to call me crazy. A lot
of journalists have been paid to say that
about me for years. The narrative is a lie
and erroneous, and it’s been cruel. Now
that what I’ve been saying is validated, all
of a sudden many of those reporters are
thinking, ‘Maybe I was wrong about this
person that I always thought was crazy
and weird. There’s something coming
out of her mouth that might make sense!’
It’s okay to make people uncomfortable.
I was talking to the female editors working
on my show and they were saying how
uncomfortable it will make men feel. But we
are taking people on an actual journey,
which is by turns angry, by turns crying,
by turns living, by turns stress, but all of
it is to highlight an extraordinary situation.
I won’t let myself be sold. Three years ago,
when I was preparing for this series, I realised
I’d never been filmed on camera without
a script. So I started doing Facebook Live,
where I would train myself to actually just
exist as me. I have no glam team and I’m
not worried about my brand so, this time
around, it’s raw and true. Last time I was
on television, it was really hard because
the terms and sale were out of my control.
This time it’s diferent.
I’ve always been brave; I just came out that
way apparently. My aunt has known me all
my life and said she’s never met anybody
that’s changed less. It’s a weird thing to be
a human lightning rod for your whole life
Rose McGowan
She’s the actress-turned-activist shaking up Hollywood. Here, she explains why she’s committed
to standing up for victims of sexual abuse after revealing her own harrowing story
CITIZEN ROSE EXPRESS Wednesdays from April 25 at 9.30pm on E! [125] available in the ENTERTAINMENT PLUS pack
“The lessons I’ve learnt”
“It’s a weird thing
to be a human
lightning rod for
your whole life”
AS TOLD TO: JENNY COONEY CARRILLO. PHOTO: ART STREIBER/AUGUST/RAVEN & S
NOW
MUST WATCH
and sometimes I feel like I speak a diferent
language than everybody else. But I don’t
understand why people just don’t tell the
truth, because it’s not going to kill you, right?
I’ve earned my place in this conversation.
I love it when people say, ‘You’re so lucky
you have a platform’ and I’m like, ‘Do you
understand what I have been through for
20 years? Do you understand that my sitting
here is a miracle?’ I have fought, clawed,
scraped and done it strategically so I could
arrive at this moment. I took on the role [of
Paige] in Charmed because even back then
I knew I had to build up my international
profile to have a voice, so people would pay
attention in every region across the globe.
I’m always the same person. You’ll see in
my documentary series that I embrace who
I am no matter what’s going on. I like to have
dance parties in my bathroom with karaoke
lighting and be happy, and then five minutes
later I’m crying because someone tweeted
something incredibly hurtful.
Don’t call me an actress. People report on
me as being an actress and I keep saying,
‘Yo, I don’t do that anymore!’ I’m a director,
I have an album coming out and I’m the
author of a 300-page book teaching people
how to be brave: that’s my number one
thing. The show isn’t me as an actress; it’s
me answering what people think is in the
book, it’s uplifting and fierce and freeing.
20 Foxtel APRIL