Dame Angela Lansbury is "devastated" over the way people have interpreted her comments about sexual misconduct.
The ‘Beauty and the Beast’ actress was hit by a fierce backlash when she said women "must sometimes take blame" when quizzed about the sexual harassment scandal that has swept through Hollywood, but she insists there is never any "excuse" for unwanted advances and is horrified people would believes she thinks otherwise.
She said in a statement: "There is no excuse whatsoever for men to harass women in an abusive sexual manner. And, I am devastated that anyone should deem me capable of thinking otherwise.
"Those who have known the quality of my work and the many public statements I have made over the course of my life, must know, that I am a strong supporter of Women’s Rights."
And the 92-year-old actress feels "troubled" people have sought to make excuses for her comments without clarifying the "entirety" of what she actually said.
She added: "Lastly, I would like to add that I am troubled by how quickly and brutishly some have taken my comments out of context and attempted to blame my generation, my age, or my mindset, without having read the entirety of what I said."
The ‘Murder, She Wrote’ legend sparked a backlash when asked about sexual misconduct allegations and stated that sometimes there can be "two sides to this coin" due to the revealing and alluring clothes ladies wear.
She said: "There are two sides to this coin. We have to own up to the fact women, since time immemorial, have gone out of their way to make themselves attractive. And unfortunately it has backfired on us, and this is where we are today.
"We must sometimes take blame. Although it’s awful to say we can’t make ourselves look as attractive as possible without being knocked down and raped."
Clarifying that she categorically believes that no one should be subjected to sexual harassment or assault, she added: "Should women be prepared for this? No, they shouldn’t have to be. There’s no excuse for that."
Angela Lansbury clarifies sexual misconduct comments
