Rose McGowan: I’ve dated women before, but had to hide sexuality in Hollywood
Rose McGowan has apologised for her past comments about the trans community.(PinkNews)
Actor Rose McGowan has opened up about her sexuality, explaining that she has dated women before—but that she previously hid her private life in Hollywood.
The Charmed star, who is in a relationship with non-binary model Rain Dove, spoke to PinkNews candidly about her dating past, branding Hollywood “not a particularly progressive place.”
“My history is that I have dated women before, never in a relationship, always just more casual dating,” explained McGowan.
“And then I tended to be in very long relationships with men.
“But there’s always kind of—I couldn’t really get into it.”
Watch the interview:
Rose McGowan: “Hollywood is not a particularly progressive place”
McGowan, who starred in 1996 cult horror movie Scream, explained that she has previously felt like she was “masquerading in a relationship as to what I [was] supposed to be within that role” when she was in relationships with men, adding: “I didn’t want to do that anymore.”
Asked whether she had ever had to conceal her sexuality, McGowan responded: “Yeah, definitely, being in Hollywood. I was already labelled a weirdo and a freak by their standards.”
“I just kept my nose down and kept working, and isolated my private life.”
—Rose McGowan
She added: “And I had been homeless once in my life and I was terrified of being homeless again. So I just kept my nose down and kept working, and isolated my private life.”
McGowan, who publicly alleged in October 2017 that disgraced film mogul Harvey Weinstein had raped her, suggested she avoided paparazzi cameras when she dated women in the past.
I didn’t want to be caught in photos with other women, says Rose McGowan
The 45-year-old star continued: “I also, at the same time, was never like ‘I’m gonna make an announcement’ kind of person.
“It was just, like, I’m doing what I’m doing because I feel like doing this.”
However, McGowan added: “It was definitely something that, you didn’t want to be caught in a photo, you didn’t want to, you know, have someone writing about it.
“Because it would confuse the issue of trying to not be homeless and play by their rules, of which there are many… they’re all invisible rules and none of them really make that much sense.”
McGowan, who was recognised as one of Time‘s Person of the Year “Silence Breakers” in 2017 for her work speaking out against sexual assault and harassment, went on to discuss why there are so few openly gay or lesbian stars in Hollywood.
She compared the film and music worlds, saying: “Singers are fine to come out, there’s no problem in the music industry.
“You didn’t want to be caught in a photo, you didn’t want to have someone writing about it.”
—Rose McGowan
“They’ve progressed to, like, ‘We’re just people, this is who I love, this is what I do.’ But it hasn’t really come out that way in Hollywood, no.”
McGowan explained her view that gay actors haven’t been open about their sexuality because they “fear that if they come out it would limit their roles.”
She added: “But the only way it’s ever going to change is if someone does it.”
McGowan continued: “I think the public would be fine… I think we’ve grown up enough that we can handle it. I think it’s Hollywood that can’t.”
