Ashley Judd, a famed actress in the Hollywood industry and daughter of country singer, Naomi Judd has been in the media was various reasons. From her dynamic acting and movies to speaking up about past experiences, Judd has done everything.

The actress was the first one to speak up about the assault by Harvey Weinstein and inspired other women to do the same. She was one of the handfuls who came forward to The Times journal and shared her story.

How Ashley Judd spoke up?

Ashley and wynonna remember their mother while talking about her
Ashley and Wynonna remember their mother

Ashley Judd was the first person to speak up about what Harvey Weinstein did to her. The disgraced movie mogul had allegedly sexually harassed her in 1997 while shooting Kiss the Girls. She recalls when The Times journalist, Nicholas Kristof first reached out to her,

“It was very easy for me to tell this story. … It was very validating when someone finally wanted to listen and do something about it. And the film was the next step in that. It’s so important to be in our truth and to have our righteousness in our story. So it was a really simple thing for me to do, and I was very grateful for the opportunity.”

Later, the inspiring actress also mentioned her now-late mother, Naomi Judd, and remembered how she reacted, “I just remember when I was speaking with my mother about this, she said, ‘Oh, go get ’em, honey.’ … She was just enthralled by my audacity (to speak out), as I later heard from our friends.”

The actress later teared up on stage while remembering this instance and talking about her mother.

Also read: James Cameron speaks about almost hitting Harvey Weinstein with his award

Ashley Judd and political activism

Ashley Judd speaking on stage
Ashley Judd speaking on stage

The actress-and-political activist has been taking stands on various topics, unequal pay and sexual assault being one of them. The actress revealed in an interview that she had been assaulted at seven, raped at 14, and then again in 1998.

She has also said that her home country falls short of gender equality and shares her own experience of being paid 40% less due to being a woman.

What Happened to Harvey Weinstein?

Ashley Judd at an award ceremony
Ashely Judd at an award ceremony

The actress, while speaking at the World Congress Against Sexual Exploitation of Women and Girls in New Delhi, revealed her interaction with Harvey Weinstein.

“I was sexually harassed by one of our industry’s most famous, admired-slash-reviled bosses. He was very stealthy and expert about it. He groomed me, which is a technical term – ‘Oh, come meet at the hotel for something to eat.’ It went on in these stages. It was so disgusting,” she said.

Ashley Judd, who’s in the news again about playing herself in her new movie also talked about her interactions with other actresses who went through the same thing. In her new movie, “She Said” debuting on 18 November, Judd plays a small role at the beginning of the film. She shares her experience with Weinstein.

The actress was met with a standing ovation at the New York Film Festival debut of She Said. She was joined by other Weinstein accusers on stage. The movie highlights the work of journalists to help expose Harvey Weinstein. “First of all, I just want to acknowledge my sisters and thank them for their courage,” Judd said during a post-screening Q&A.

Clearly, her new movie is the most personal one for her yet. 

Also read: Kaja Sokola Says Harvey Weinstein Sexually Assaulted Her When She Was 16

Source: Page Six

Explore from around the WEB