Rose McGowan Says She Was Fired By Agency After Speaking Out Against Hollywood Sexism

by Olivia Truffaut-WongJune 26, 2015, 7:40 pmNews, News Feed >

Rose McGowan claims she was fired by her agency after speaking out against Hollywood sexism and calling out Adam Sandler on Twitter.

Rose McGowan Fired By Agency For Calling Out Hollywood Sexism

McGowan made headlines last week when she tweeted a casting note she received with a script of an upcoming Sandler film, calling it out for its condescending and sexist nature. The note asked actresses to wear tight, black clothing – “that shows off cleavage (push-up bras encouraged)” – and asked that actresses read the script prior to auditioning to “understand the context of the scenes.”

After the tweet went viral, McGowan tweeted on Thursday, June 25, that she had been fired from her agency because of her decision to speak out against sexism in Hollywood. “I just got fired by my wussy acting agent because I spoke up about the bullshit in Hollywood,” she wrote on Twitter.

It was reported that her former agent, Shelia Wenzel, was leaving the Innovative, the agency that dropped McGowan. Innovative has not commented on either departure. Reports speculated that Wenzel had been fired after the McGowan drama, but McGowan took to Twitter to set the record straight about Wenzel, saying her agent left the company before they fired her. “Sheila Wenzel is a wonderful agent that ceased working with Innovative before my firing. She’s a good, strong woman I’m proud to know,” she said.

On Friday, McGowan continued to stand strong in an interview with Good Morning America, saying that she hopes other actresses and women in the industry will speak out and continue to shed light on the harsh realities of Hollywood. “The only way to stop it is to shine a light on it and reveal how ugly it is.… I want to make it better for the next girl coming after me – to know she doesn’t have to sell her body and soul just because she wants to be a creative person. That isn’t the fine you pay at the gate, and it shouldn’t be,” she said.

McGowan also recounted her response to the news of her firing, saying, “I wrote back to them, ‘You’re hilarious.’ That was my response. Like, come on! Hollywood, get a better script. This is so predictable.”

When asked whether she was worried about being blacklisted for speaking out, McGowan emphasized that she is ready to fight if necessary. “I don’t care. Bring it. You want to play, let’s play.”

Jessica Chastain, Heather Matarazzo Support Rose McGowan

Whatever happens next, McGowan has some A-list supporters behind her. Jessica Chastain shared her support on Twitter, writing that McGowan’s experience “confirms the misogyny underpinning the industry” and that the actress “should be celebrated for speaking out.”

Fellow actresses and filmmakers have also tweeted their support, including Nia Vardalos, the woman behind My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and Heather Matarazzo.

Matarazzo, best known for her supporting role in The Princess Diaries, took McGowan’s crusade a step further and encouraged women in Hollywood to “name names.”

“Tell your stories. Name names. Call out the mysoginists and the ones who are complicit. They only stay in power because we let them…. We need to know that we will be supported and not blacklisted form this industry. Where are the supporters who will say that we are safe to speak out? We got your back,” she wrote as part of a long statement on Twitter.

Article by Olivia Truffaut-Wong

Olivia Truffaut-Wong was born and raised in Berkeley, California, where she developed her love of all things entertainment. After moving to New York City to earn her degree in Film Studies, she stayed on the East Coast to follow her passion and become an entertainment writer. She lives on a diet of television, movies and food.