In the ongoing age of #MeToo, we’ve seen a variety of disturbing situations come to light and make headlines. And as an outlet that reports on news related to the film and TV industry, we’re obligated to try and cover it as much as we can, as unpleasant as it can be, providing statements from both the accused and the accusers. Each situation is difficult to write about, knowing the severity of situations, making the way you present the allegations crucially important.
READ MORE: Rose McGowan Details Sexual Assault Allegations Against Filmmaker Alexander Payne
So, you know what might not be the best way to cover the allegations from Rose McGowan against director Alexander Payne, at least in terms of optics? Offering the filmmaker a full op-ed guest column that gives him a platform to deny the accusations without any sort of follow-up questions, pushback, or even a little context. However, that’s what Deadline has done, by releasing a guest column written by Payne, where he unsurprisingly refutes the horrible allegations of sexual misconduct and assault against McGowan when she was underage.
And now that the situation is being litigated in the public discourse today, and it gets even messier (more in a second).
“Rose McGowan and I have always had very cordial interactions, and I have admired her commitment to activism and her voice in an important, historic movement,” wrote Payne in his piece. “However, what she has said about me in recent social media posts is simply untrue.”
READ MORE: Natalie Portman Explains Why She Hasn’t Worked With Many Female Filmmakers In The Past
As we reported weeks ago, the accusations thrown at Payne from McGowan involve sexual assault and inappropriate activities when the actress was underage. In his free-rein guest column, Payne refutes those allegations and said, “Rose is mistaken in saying we met when she was fifteen, in the late 1980s. I was a full-time film student at UCLA from 1984 until 1990, and I know that our paths never crossed.”
He then goes on to provide more details to aid in his defense, which you can read in the entire column at Deadline. However, as you might expect, this column was immediately met by a harsh rebuttal from McGowan, who didn’t mince words. This is where things get even messier.
“Fuck him and his lies is my comment,” she said to Variety. “I told Payne to acknowledge and apologize, he has not. I said I didn’t want to destroy, now I do. Why do these men always lie? I will now make it a mission to expose him. I am not the only one.”
She added, “I want people that have watched his films to know his morals are in your mind, his thoughts have become yours. Like in his ‘comedy’ ‘Election,’ where the middle-aged teacher that fantasizes having sex with his young student, Reese Witherspoon. I want people to know Hollywood perpetrators show you who they are, their skewed view normalized. Men like Predator Payne, who profited from working Weinstein, must be stopped from not only assaulting but must also be prevented from infecting the masses with their propaganda.”
Clearly, this whole situation has gotten incredibly ugly. And considering the allegations against Payne are disgusting and horrific, if true, the way this has turned out is unfortunate, to say the least. As always, we’ll keep an eye out to see what happens further, especially if there are legal consequences to the accusations.