Rose McGowan reveals director Alexander Payne sexually abused her when she was 15

New Delhi, India

Rose McGowan is known for having being one of the few women actors who started #MeToo movement in Hollywood naming and shaming Harvey Weinstein for using his status and power to sexually abuse and rape her and others. Now, the former actress has accused ‘The Descendants’ and ‘Sideways’ director Alexander Payne of sexual misconduct.

The actress shared her alleged experience in a series of tweets as she lived through the horror when she was only 15 years old. 

It comes as a shock for the two-time Oscar winner as she wrote, “You sat me down & played a soft-core porn movie you directed for Showtime under a different name. I still remember your apartment in Silverlake.”

She then wrote that she wasn’t bringing up the incident with intentions “to destroy.” Instead, she demanded an acknowledgement and apology from the director.

She has previously recalled the same incident in 2018 in a conversation with Ronan Farrow, according to The Cut. During the conversation, Farrow noted that the actress told him she had experienced statutory rape at the hands of “a prominent man in Hollywood.” She did not take his name but said that the director took her home, showed her an inappropriate movie and engaged with her sexually. 

On Monday, the actress posted a lengthy statement on Instagram about her accusation, saying “I now know I was groomed.”