Rose McGowan Graphically Details Her Alleged Sexual Assault by Harvey Weinstein in New Book
"It seemed like every creep in Hollywood knew about my most vulnerable and violated moment. And I was the one who was punished for it." — Rose McGowan, claiming Harvey Weinstein told people not to work with the actress following their alleged sexual assault encounter, in an excerpt from McGowan's book, Brave
Rose McGowan is finally detailing her alleged sexual assault at the hands of Harvey Weinstein.
The actress opens up in her deeply personal upcoming book BRAVE about the moment she says the former movie mogul assaulted her in 1997 at the Sundance Film Festival. McGowan, 44, had previously accused Weinstein of rape on Twitter but had not gone into detail about the alleged incident.
In a review of BRAVE by the New York Times, the paper says McGowan only refers to Weinstein as “the Monster” in the book. The Charmed actress writes that she was sent up to his suite in Park City, Utah where she thought they were going to have a meeting about her blossoming career.
Instead, McGowan says Weinstein pulled her into a room with a jacuzzi and took her clothes off, where she froze “like a statue.” She then writes that the producer proceeded to sit her on the side of the jacuzzi and perform oral sex on her while he masturbated, according to the NYT.
“He moans loudly; through my tears I see his semen floating on top of the bubbles,” she writes.
Afterwards, McGowan says she told some people who “counseled me to see it as something that would help my career in the long run” and was allegedly told by a criminal attorney she wouldn’t be believed if she pressed charges.
McGowan says she heard Weinstein was calling people after the alleged assault and telling them not to work with the actress.
“It seemed like every creep in Hollywood knew about my most vulnerable and violated moment,” she writes, according to the NYT. “And I was the one who was punished for it.”
A spokesperson for Weinstein previously told PEOPLE in a statement that “any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr. Weinstein. Mr. Weinstein has further confirmed that there were never any acts of retaliation against any women for refusing his advances.”
McGowan was one of the first women to speak out in October when news broke about his alleged decades of alleged sexual misconduct and assault in The New York Times and The New Yorker. The former producer has since been accused by over 60 women of various forms of sexual assault and misconduct.
In October, the NYT reported that McGowan was part of a settlement with Weinstein in 1997 following the alleged encounter. The $100,000 payout was “not to be construed as an admission” by Weinstein, but intended to “avoid litigation and buy peace,” according to a legal document reportedly reviewed by the NYT.
BRAVE is available for purchase Jan. 31.
