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For the first time, Rose McGowan recounts in crushing detail Weinstein's alleged assault.

She calls him “The Monster” and, for the first time, actress Rose McGowan has shared how the now-disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein allegedly assaulted her.

She was one of the first to accuse Weinstein of sexual misconduct in October last year, but only revealed details of the alleged assault in her book Brave, to be released at the end of January.

According to a review of the autobiography by The New York Times, McGowan’s experience with “The Monster” plays out in horrific detail.

It was 1997 and the now-44-year-old actress was excited to attend a breakfast meeting with the renowned producer at the restaurant of an exclusive hotel in Park City, Utah.

“I was certain we would be working together for many years to come,” she writes about meeting Weinstein, now 65. “We were here to plot out the grand arc of my career.”

Instead, she was told by the restaurant’s host that Weinstein was stuck on a call and would she like to meet him in his suite?

We know now, that this was part of a pattern. One which many, many women had experienced before and would go onto experience after McGowan’s own alleged trauma. But McGowan didn’t know this, then. She was still hoping to plan her career with the Miramax heavyweight.

LISTEN: The Time’s Up movement, explained. Post continues below.

Weinstein answered the door to his suite and ushered her inside. The alleged abuse started immediately.

She said he pushed her into a room with a jacuzzi and began pulling off her clothes.

“I freeze, like a statue,” McGowan writes.

He placed her on the side of the spa, she said, and turned her so she was facing the water. He allegedly got into the jacuzzi and began performing oral sex on her while masturbating himself.

She said she forced herself to fake an orgasm in an attempt to make the assault end sooner – a tactic shared by several of Weinstein’s alleged victims.

“He moans loudly,” she writes. “Through my tears I see his semen floating on top of the bubbles.”

McGowan left, shaken, and attended a photo-op with actor Ben Affleck where she told him what happened. She claimed he said in response: “Goddamn it, I told him to stop doing that”.

The story of what came next is almost as violating as the alleged incident itself. Everywhere she turned, McGowan was told to stop talking about Weinstein's alleged assault - that she should "see it as something that would help my career".

A criminal attorney told her not to press charges because she wouldn't be believed.

Then, McGowan discovered Weinstein was telling people in Hollywood not to hire her. That he was ruining her reputation because she hadn't stayed quiet.

"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," McGowan writes.

In the end, she said Weinstein paid her $100,000 for her silence. However, the disgraced filmmaker denies the incident in the Utah hotel suite ever happened.

Since the first expose detailing Weinstein's behaviour was published by The New York Times in October, more than 90 female actresses, models and television producers have come forward accusing the married father-of-five of sexual misconduct, rape and exploitation.

If you or anyone you know is experiencing sexual assault or violence, call 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732.

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Top Comments

Anon 7 years ago

After stirring up a lot of attention Rose finally details the assault... in a book. For profit? Or is she donating it to a women’s cause?
Weinsteins going to get (is getting) everything he deserves but have all of Rose’s antics of late been to promote this tell all book she would have had in the works?
This is also an interesting story. So Rose didn’t object at any time and even pretended to orgasm? How would he have known she wasn’t wanting this? This seems to be a grey area. I’m glad I’m not a male.


Really? 7 years ago

Yes, we all still need to insert the word 'alleged' when reporting on the alleged CRIMINAL behaviour of Harvey Weinstein.

So, now, here's my question. Why, in the grandstanding of the #metoo campaign which somehow turned into #timesup, has Harvey Weinstein not been charged with anything? Is there any investigation into the horrific allegations?

If #timesup, when is that exactly?