When Reese Witherspoon Recalled Being S*xually Assaulted At 16 By A Hollywood Director & Felt Ashamed For Staying Silent: “I Feel True Disgust At Him…”
Reese Witherspoon once revealed how she was s*xually assaulted by a director when she was just 16 & that she felt ashamed for staying silent. Read on
When Reese Witherspoon Recalled Being S*xually Assaulted At 16 By A Hollywood Director & Felt Ashamed For Staying Silent ( Photo Credit – Instagram )
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Reese Witherspoon is one of the most respected and influential figures in Hollywood. She is well known for her ability to effortlessly switch between various genres and has given phenomenal performances in films like Walk the Line (2005), Legally Blonde (2001)and many more.
Her contributions to the entertainment industry and her efforts in promoting female-centric stories have earned her accolades and recognition. But did you know, she once revealed that she was s*xually assaulted at the age of 16 by a Hollywood director. Scroll down to know
During a speech at Elle‘s Women in Hollywood in 2017, Reese Witherspoon opened up about her own experiences with sexual harassment and assault in the film industry. She revealed how she was s*xually assaulted by a director when she was just 16 and said this wasn’t the only time she’d experienced inappropriate behavior in her career, adding that she felt ashamed for staying silent.
As reported by Hollywood Reporter Reese Witherspoon said, “[I feel] true disgust at the director who assaulted me when I was 16 years old and anger at the agents and the producers who made me feel that silence was a condition of my employment. And I wish I could tell you that was an isolated incident in my career, but sadly it wasn’t. I’ve had multiple experiences of harassment and s*xual assault and I don’t speak about them very often.”
Cruel Intention actress’ revelation, came at a time when the Me Too movement in Hollywood was at its peak. Several actresses shared their experiences of s*xual harassment and assault, including some allegedly by disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein.
“This has been a really hard week for women in Hollywood, for women all over the world and a lot of situations and a lot of industries that are forced to remember and relive a lot of ugly truths. I have my own experiences that have come back to me very vividly and I find it really hard to sleep, hard to think, hard to communicate a lot of the feelings that I’ve been having about anxiety, about being honest, the guilt for not speaking up earlier, for not taking action,” Reese Witherspoon said.
Witherspoon added, “After hearing all the stories these past few days and hearing these brave women speak up tonight about things that we’re kind of told to sweep under the rug and not to talk about, it’s made me want to speak up and speak up loudly because actually I felt less alone this week than I have felt in my entire career. I have just spoken to so many actresses and writers, particularly women, who have had similar experiences and many of them have bravely gone public with their stories. That truth is very encouraging to me and to everyone out there in the world because you can only heal by telling the truth.”
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