Rose McGowan Speaks Out About Asia Argento Sexual Assault Allegations
A week after a New York Times report detailed allegations of sexual assault against Italian actress and #MeToo activist Asia Argento, outspoken friend and fellow activist Rose McGowan has shared her thoughts—and a message to Argento—with the public.
In a lengthy statement released by McGowan and published on multiple websites, the actress says of Argento, “be the person you wish Harvey could have been,” in response to her denial of the allegations.
According to the Times, Argento—who was one of the first women to publicly accuse producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault—secretly agreed to pay $380,000 to a young male actor named Jimmy Bennett who accused her of sexual misconduct in 2013. She has since denied the report, calling it “absolutely false.” The two had acted together in the 2004 movie, The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things, playing mother and son.
When the report initially broke, McGowan simply tweeted, “I got to know Asia Argento ten months ago. Our commonality is the shared pain of being assaulted by Harvey Weinstein. My heart is broken. I will continue my work on behalf of victims everywhere.”
But on Monday, McGowan’s statement revealed much more. According to the statement, McGowan’s partner, Rain Dove, says Argento admitted to sleeping with Bennett in a text exchange that has since been turned over to authorities. The statement comes after entertainment website TMZ published screenshots of what they said to be a text conversation between Argento and a friend.
“I know that coming to me with those messages must have been hard for Rain because of that so I commend them for their bravery,” she continues in the statement.
McGowan maintains that she is still an ally to victims of abuse and that she, herself, has been humbled by the Argento allegations.
“To the people who have checked in with me to see if I’m alright—the answer is thank you and Yes. I’ll be fine. It’s sad to lose a friend connection, but what’s even more sad is what happened to Jimmy Bennet [sic],” the statement read.
“Whether or not the extortion case is true—it wasn’t fair and it wasn’t right. It is the type of thing I fight against alongside so many. The reason I haven’t released a statement is because I’ve frankly been extremely humbled by this event…. I had to take a step back and realize that in my own activism while I fight hard with passion—I need to evolve. In the past I have been occasionally angry. As a victim I was justified in fiery feelings. But I know that those accused are the friends, parents, and family members of other people,” the statement reads. “There absolutely should be no leeway or tolerance for sexual assault. Hard stop. NONE. Victims also shouldn’t be told how they should react or what they should say about their abusers. However as allies to the victim and voyeurs of an event we should find a better way to balance support of the victim with due process for the accused. I’ve never claimed to be perfect. This week especially has made me come to terms with the fact that we all have a lot of growing to do, including myself.”
McGowan also addresses Argento directly. “Asia you were my friend. I loved you. You’ve spent and risked a lot to stand with the MeToo movement. I really hope you find your way through this process to rehabilitation and betterment,” she writes.
“Anyone can be be better—I hope you can be, too. Do the right thing. Be honest. Be fair. Let justice stay its course.”
Read the full statement here.
MORE: If We Want Men to Be a Part of #MeToo, We Have to Stop Gendering the Movement