Earlier this week, Rose McGowan continued rallying the #MeToo movement on social media when she voiced a criticism of actresses, specifically Meryl Streep, who were planning a silent protest (by wearing black at the Golden Globes) against sexual harassment in the entertainment industry and other fields. “YOUR SILENCE is THE problem,” McGowan wrote. “You’ll accept a fake award breathlessly & affect no real change. I despise your hypocrisy.”
In response, Streep released a statement denying that she had been deliberately silent about Harvey Weinstein in the past.
“It hurt to be attacked by Rose McGowan in banner headlines this weekend, but I want to let her know I did not know about Weinstein’s crimes, not in the 90s when he attacked her, or through subsequent decades when he proceeded to attack others,” Streep said. “I wasn’t deliberately silent. I didn’t know. I don’t tacitly approve of rape. I didn’t know. I don’t like young women being assaulted. I didn’t know this was happening.”
Streep added that she was “sorry” that McGowan saw her “as an adversary” since they both have the same goal: changing the status quo and installing women in positions of power in order to prevent future Weinsteins from hiding in plain sight for so long.
McGowan herself has had to clarify her original tweet after it was misinterpreted (and imply that Streep may have misinterpreted it):
When Vogue Australia tweeted on Tuesday, December 19 “Meryl Streep has released a statement, hitting back at @rosemcgowan for accusing her of knowing about Weinstein’s crimes,” the actress responded: “F off. @vogueaustralia I did not accuse her of that. Step back.”
The Golden Globes are scheduled for January 7th and are likely to include more than just the currently planned silent protest.