Rose McGowan’s father nicknamed her "the brave one" as a child and she is now trying to live up to the moniker.
The 45-year-old actress has been heavily praised over the last year for being one of the first women to speak out about the alleged sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of Harvey Weinstein – paving the ways for other people to come forward – and she has admitted her dad Daniel McGowan could tell from when she was a youngster that she would become an inspiration in years to come.
Speaking at the GQ Men of the Year Awards – during which she became the first ever female recipient of the Inspiration award – at the Tate Modern in London on Wednesday (05.09.18), she said: "My father’s nickname for me was ‘the brave one’ and that’s the name of my book ‘Brave’ and it’s been my nickname my whole life, it’s been a lot to live up to and I figure I can and I can show people that they can be too, and I get inspired by others’ bravery. Even GQ is brave doing this."
The former ‘Charmed’ star found it difficult to open up about the sexual assault she suffered in the industry and, although it came at a "heavy cost", she’s pleased that she’s shown people that they can live a "better and free" life.
She explained: "It feels amazing to own my truth, it’s come at a heavy cost, but I’m really happy to be honoured for my work. I’ve been working really hard at this for the past 20 years and especially in the last four years pushing truth and I just want people to see that they can be more and better and free.
"I think it’s good to be a bad ass in general, one should aspire to be free and do things their own way and see that you be rewarded for living differently."
Rose’s claims against Weinstein led to the launch of the #MeToo movement – a campaign spearheaded by women against sexual violence – but she’s adamant her aim wasn’t for all men to be tarnished with the same brush.
She said: "It is an honour to be honoured by men, because I honour them as well and their bravery and their courage to fight against a system that they’re born into. I want to reinforce the idea that none of us have to conform to what we’re born into society. It’s all about ally ship. We can all get hurt and we can all heal."
Rose McGowan was nicknamed ‘the brave one’ from a child
