Rose McGowan has since released a loose, semi-apology, one week after slamming Natalie Portman’s subtle “Oscar protest”, claiming she “lost sight of the bigger picture”.
(Sips tea).
Leading up to the 2020 Academy Awards, there was some undeniable tension in the air amongst those who felt that a lot of women in the industry were snubbed.
Many questioned the integrity of the academy and where their votes were placed.
To show her support for the women over the years who certainly deserved nominations but didn’t receive them, Natalie Portman protested on the 2020 Oscars red carpet.
She wore a cape embroidered with the names of several female directors like who were snubbed for Best Director nominations.
While many found Natalie’s gesture to be endearing, there was one woman in the film industry who found it “deeply offensive”, Rose McGowan.
Rose took to Facebook to air out her frustration over Natalie’s display on the red carpet.
“I find Portman’s type of activism deeply offensive to those of us who actually do the work,” she wrote.
“I’m not writing this out of bitterness, I am writing out of disgust. I just want her and other actresses to walk the walk.”
“Natalie, you have worked with two female directors in your very long career – one of them was you.”
“You have a production company that has hired exactly one female director – you,” Rose continued .
“What is it with actresses of your ilk? You ‘A-listers’ could change the world if you’d take a stand instead of being the problem.”
“Yes, you, Natalie. You are the problem. Lip service is the problem. Fake support of other women is the problem.”
“I am singling you out because you are the latest in a long line of actresses who are acting the part of a woman who cares about other women.”
Natalie eventually responded to Rose’s statement, agreeing that her display was not an act of bravery.
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“I agree with Ms. McGowan that it is inaccurate to call me ‘brave’ for wearing a garment with women’s names on it,” Natalie said in a statement to CNN.
“Brave is a term I more strongly associate with actions like those of the women who have been testifying against Harvey Weinstein the last few weeks, under incredible pressure.”
“It is true I’ve only made a few films with women. In my long career, I’ve only gotten the chance to work with female directors a few times.”
“I’ve made shorts, commercials, music videos and features with Marya Cohen, Mira Nair, Rebecca Zlotowski, Anna Rose Holmer, Sofia Coppola, Shirin Neshat and myself. Unfortunately, the unmade films I have tried to make are a ghost history,” she added.
“I have had the experience a few times of helping get female directors hired on projects which they were then forced out of because of the conditions they faced at work.”
“After they are made, female-directed films face difficulty getting into festivals, getting distribution and getting accolades because of the gatekeepers at every level,” she continued.
“So I want to say, I have tried, and I will keep trying. While I have not yet been successful, I am hopeful that we are stepping into a new day,” she concluded.
Now, just over a week since Natalie’s statement , Rose is backpedaling her own.
“My critique should’ve been about Hollywood’s ongoing culture of silence,” Rose wrote on Twitter.
She then admitted that she wasn’t seeing the bigger picture when she made her initial statement — the bigger picture being that women need to support each other.
“I realize that by critiquing someone personally, I lost sight of the bigger picture,” she continued.
She explained that she shouldn’t be tearing down someone’s protest just because she may have done it differently (especially considering they ultimately want the same thing).
“All voices, however spoken, are valid “.
“Let’s all keep pushing boundaries in whatever way we can,” she added. “It’s time to get loud.”
Natalie has not yet commented on Rose’s retraction , but I can only imagine that she agrees.
Do you think Rose was right to admit that she was wrong for slamming Natalie Portman’s Oscars protest?
Sound off in the comments below!
