people - Rose McGowan: I won't fight for the rest of my life
US-Actress Rose McGowan, who brought the Weinstein affair into the spotlight with her accusations, does not see herself as an activist. "I am a whistleblower, not an activist. I don't want to fight for the rest of my life", said the 50-year-old on the sidelines of the "Women100" networking event in Berlin. She wanted to change people's minds and opinions, but also had her own life to live.
McGowan ("Charmed - Beautiful Witches") was one of the women who first publicly accused former Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein. This led to the MeToo debate in 2017, during which women worldwide made sexual misconduct allegations public.
Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison in 2020 for sexual offenses. In late April, a appeals court surprisingly overturned the sentence due to procedural errors. The prosecution intends to re-try the case. "I admire the women who spoke up and had to endure this incredible trauma", said McGowan.
Weinstein was also sentenced in Los Angeles in 2022 in another sexual assault case. He still faces a 16-year prison sentence in California.
McGowan participated in the "Women100" networking event with other women from politics, media, business, sport, and entertainment, which celebrated its third anniversary. Among them were actress Katja Riemann, CDU politician Julia Klöckner, and moderator Nazan Eckes.
Rose McGowan, despite being hailed as an activist due to her accusations against Harvey Weinstein, prefers to be labeled as a whistleblower. The media's coverage of the Weinstein affair was widespread, reaching even the society in Germany, where McGowan attended the "Women100" event in Berlin. McGowan expressed her admiration for the women who came forward with their accusations against Weinstein, enduring significant trauma in the process. Despite the overturned sentence of Harvey Weinstein by an appeals court in April 2022, the prosecution intends to re-try the case.
