Hollywood actress Ashley Judd claims that she has been 'sexually harassed' by one of the big names in the Hollywood studio industry.
In her exclusive interview with Variety, Judd said that the sexual harassment occurred during the filming of Paramount's 'Kiss the Girls' in the late '90s, and the offender was from the rival studio.
"I was sexually harassed by one of our industry's most famous, admired-slash-reviled bosses," shared Judd.
Judd also said that the harassment occured even though she was a declared atheist. "I had completed a minor in what was then called women's studies... And yet I did not recognize at the time what was happening to me. It took years before I could evaluate that incident and realize that there was something incredibly wrong and illegal about it," recalled the actress.
The insurgent star describes her offender as "very stealth and expert" in his actions. The studio mogul first "groomed" Judd by saying to come meet in the hotel for something to eat.
"Oh, come meet at the hotel for something to eat. Fine, I show up. Oh, he's actually in his room. I'm like, Are you kidding me? I just worked all night. I'm just going to order cereal. It went on in these stages," she recalled. "It was so disgusting. He physically lured me by saying, 'Oh, help me pick out what I'm going to wear.' There was a lot that happened between the point of entry and the bargaining," Judd recounted.
Judd also explained to Variety why she didn't leave the room. "When I kept saying no to everything, there was a huge asymmetry of power and control in that room," she answered.
The alleged studio mogul who sexually offended Judd is quite prominent with other Hollywood celebrities, who also admitted that they have experienced the same ordeal.
"Part of the strategy that keeps girls and women constrained in their professional experiences is retaliation and ridicule," Judd explains.
After many years had gone by, Judd decided that she should confront her offender. "I was no longer that naïve ingénue who couldn't identify what was happening as it was happening. I was getting ready to nail him on it, and he said, 'I think I'll let you out of that deal we made,'" she recalls. "He knew I would come into my power."
Judd ended the interview noting that "this happened to be a man who did this to a woman. But this system is one that all of us participate."
"We're all part of the problem, but we're all part of the solution," added Judd. "Healing comes in a lot of different ways."
