Rose McGowan says "evil" entered her life for the first time on the day Harvey Weinstein allegedly raped her.
The 44-year-old actress has repeatedly accused the Hollywood movie producer of sexual assault during the Sundance Film Festival in 1997, and Rose has claimed that the alleged incident proved to be a life-shaping experience.
Rose – who was homeless for a period of time during her teens – explained: "That was the day when evil entered my life. I was so shocked when it happened to me because I thought I’d outsmarted all the trolls. I didn’t know that fancy people were more dangerous, that when I was living on the streets it was easier to identify the enemy."
Rather than pursue justice through the courts, Rose claims she instead sought an out-of-court settlement from Weinstein.
Asked about her reasoning, she told The Times newspaper: "I didn’t accept it, I requested it; there’s a difference. I did it because I wanted to buy a billboard on Sunset Boulevard that said, ‘Harvey Weinstein is a rapist’ and get the word out, but the company I tried to buy the billboard from wouldn’t let me."
Since going public with her accusations, Rose has frequently been asked why she subsequently allowed herself to be photographed on the red carpet alongside Weinstein.
But the ‘Scream’ star has insisted the scenario was manufactured by the movie mogul, rather than her agreeing to pose alongside him.
She shared: "He would orchestrate that. He’d grab you tightly round the ribcage and you would just leave your body and smile because what else can you do in front of the cameras when you’re being touched by the person who hurt you, who ruined your life? It’s beyond warped.
"I was placed next to him at a dinner in Cannes at his request, him and his wife – she didn’t talk to me, but I didn’t want to talk to her either.
"I had to go and auction something on stage and he came up and he put his arm around me and talked into the microphone at the same time as me. There are so many levels of horror and again you’re trapped."
Rose McGowan says Harvey Weinstein represents ‘evil’
