Natalie Portman Responds To Rose McGowan's Scathing Oscars Outfit Criticism
Rose McGowan was not a fan of Natalie Portman's protest outfit at the 92nd Oscars.
Strutting the red carpet in a stunning Dior gown with a matching cape, Portman -- who has been an advocate of the Time's Up movement -- added a small yet significant detail to her ensemble that had everybody talking.
Within the cape, she had stitched the names of several snubbed female filmmakers -- including Greta Gerwig (Little Women), Lorene Scafaria (Hustlers) and Melina Matsoukas (Queen & Slim) -- many of whom didn't receive nominations at this year's awards show, telling The L.A. Times' Amy Kaufman, "I wanted to recognize the women who were not recognized for their incredible work this year in my subtle way."
While many were quick to praise the actress's statement as "brave", fellow actress Rose McGowan had a few choice words for the star that weren't so positive.
Posting her thoughts in a lengthy Facebook post, she blasted Portman's protest, accusing her of "acting the part of someone who cares".
"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," McGowan began her post. "More like an actress acting the part of someone who cares. As so many of them do.
"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."
She went on to add that she "just wanted other actresses to walk the walk", before addressing Natalie directly, saying, “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.
“What is it with actresses of your ilk?” she continued. “You ‘A-listers’ (🤮) could change the world if you’d take a stand instead of being the problem. Yes, you, Natalie. You are the problem. Lip service is the problem. Fake support of other women is the problem.”
McGowan added that she had only targeted Portman's recent protest as she was 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 all."
The 'Brave' author went on to add, “As for me, I’ll be over here raising my voice and fighting for change without any compensation. That is activism. Until you and your fellow actresses get real, do us all a favor and hang up your embroidered activist cloak, it doesn’t hang right.”
Following the scathing essay, Portman then responded with a lengthy reply of her own, in which she agreed she should not be labelled as "brave", but also refuting some of McGowan's claims against her.
She continued, "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.”
"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,' she said, adding, "Unfortunately, the unmade films I have tried to make are a ghost history."
She continued to say that it has been well-documented that "female films have been incredibly hard to get made at studios or to get independently financed" and that even if they do managed to get made, "women face enormous challenges during the making of them".
She continued, "I have had the experience a few times of helping get female directors hired on projects which they were then forced out of because of the conditions they faced at work.
"So I want to say, I have tried, and I will keep trying," Portman continued. "While I have not yet been successful, I am hopeful that we are stepping into a new day."
Image: Getty