Actor and activist Rose McGowan has branded disgraced film mogul Harvey Weinstein a "mafia boss", offering a stark insight into the immense fear and control he allegedly wielded in Hollywood.
The 52-year-old, known for roles in Scream, Jawbreaker, and playing Paige Matthews in Charmed, was one of the first of more than 100 women to publicly accuse the producer of sexual misconduct.
Speaking on the We Need To Talk podcast, McGowan asserted that Weinstein was seen as "their god" by many, noting he was "thanked more times than God at the Oscars".
She described seeing "adult men that were like power players" physically shake in his presence, highlighting "the level of control and power" he held. "I think he was a thug," she added, clarifying he was "not the mafia boss of the cool kind with a suit like the Marlon Brando Godfather type, but more like a street way."
Weinstein was sentenced in 2023 to 16 years in prison for rape and sexual assault in California. He has consistently denied all allegations of non-consensual sex.
McGowan recounted her own alleged assault, which she said occurred during a meeting her manager arranged between herself and Weinstein while attending the Sundance Film Festival.
She reflected: "Everything in hindsight, every detail leading up to that moment, I could see how orchestrated it was to get me into the position that I was in. I really thought I was safe."
She described being "almost out" when she was "pulled into, like a room with a hot tub. The next thing I know I have no clothes on and I’m like, just like a statue. And I just froze."
Following the incident, McGowan said she was left "short circuiting" and became increasingly "despondent and angry".
McGowan first accused Weinstein of rape in 2017. She later detailed the alleged 1997 encounter in her 2018 autobiography, Brave.
In 2020, Weinstein was convicted of sexually assaulting former production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006 and raping former actor Jessica Mann in 2013. He is currently serving a 23-year sentence at a prison in upstate New York.
