Rose McGowan has admitted she "lost sight of the bigger picture" when she criticised Natalie Portman’s Oscars outfit.
The ‘Charmed’ star took aim at Natalie following the Academy Awards earlier this month, as she said her outfit – which came with a cape embroidered with the names of snubbed female directors – wasn’t "brave", and was in fact "deeply offensive" to real feminist campaigners.
In part of a lengthy Facebook post, Rose also pointed out the ‘Black Swan’ actress had little experience of working with female filmmakers, despite owning her own production company that could hire more women.
But now, Rose has backtracked on her comments and has said Natalie’s voice is "valid".
Writing on Twitter, the 46-year-old activist said: "My critique should’ve been about Hollywood’s ongoing culture of silence. I realize that by critiquing someone personally, I lost sight of the bigger picture. All voices, however spoken, are valid. Let’s all keep pushing boundaries in whatever way we can, it’s time to get loud. (sic)"
Following her criticism, Natalie responded in her own statement, in which she agreed that her outfit wasn’t "brave", but insisted she had tried to make movies with more women but the projects hadn’t worked out.
She said: I agree with Ms. McGowan that it is inaccurate to call me ‘brave’ for wearing a garment with women’s names on it.
"Brave is a term I more strongly associate with actions like those of the women who have been testifying against Harvey Weinstein the last few weeks, under incredible pressure.
"The past few years have seen a blossoming of directing opportunities for women due to the collective efforts of many people who have been calling out the system.
"The gift has been these incredible films. I hope that what was intended as a simple nod to them does not distract from their great achievements.
"It is true I’ve only made a few films with women. In my long career, I’ve only gotten the chance to work with female directors a few times – I’ve made shorts, commercials, music videos and features with Marya Cohen, Mira Nair, Rebecca Zlotowski, Anna Rose Holmer, Sofia Coppola, Shirin Neshat and myself.
"Unfortunately, the unmade films I have tried to make are a ghost history."
In Rose’s original comments, she claimed Natalie, 38, had been "acting the part of someone who cares".
She wrote: "Some thoughts on Natalie Portman and her Oscar ‘protest’. The kind of protest that gets rave reviews from the mainstream media for its bravery. Brave? No, not by a long shot. More like an actress acting the part of someone who cares.
"I find Portman’s type of activism deeply offensive to those of us who actually do the work. I’m not writing this out of bitterness, I am writing out of disgust.
"Natalie, you have worked with two female directors in your very long career – one of them was you. You have a production company that has hired exactly one female director – you.
"There is no law that says you need to hire women, work with women, or support women. By all means, you do you. But I am saying stop pretending you’re some kind of champion for anything other than yourself.
"I am singling you out because you are the latest in a long line of actresses who are acting the part of a woman who cares about other women. Actresses who supposedly stand for women, but in reality do not do much at well.
"Of course women in the world will keep buying the perfumes you promote, the movies you make, and think they’re buying into who you are. But who are you?"
Rose McGowan backtracks on Natalie Portman criticism
