Review of Ashley Judd ABC interview
Ashley Judd, a famous actress, was one of the first voices to publicly tell her story that ultimately defamed Harvey Weinstein and began the global and widespread #metoo movement. Pictured above with Weinstein at an Oscar’s party in the 90’s, Judd claims that Weinstein invoked fear and insecurity in the minds of many women, including herself.
In October of 2017, Judd sat down with Diane Sawyer for one of her first interviews since her story first broke to the mass public. Being an up and coming actress in the 1990’s and early 2000’s, it was sudden when Judd seemed to vanish, only appearing in a few unpopular films after the early 2000's. Her career went down after she refused Weinstein’s sexual advances and he bad mouthed her to the industry; however, now as she and many others speak up through the #metoo campaign and find their voices, it seems that she is back and better than ever.
Throughout the interview with Diane Sawyer, we see Judd remaining positive and always reminding the audience that she is not the only voice who matters. I think it is very important to remember that celebrities are not the only victims or perpetrators of sexual misconduct or sexual assault. As Judd said: “this happens everyday in all classes, in all walks of life, across the world”. She reminds the audience of those voices who remain nameless and those who we cannot put a face to. Not all victims have the platform and opportunities/connections to make change like Ashley Judd. Actually, Judd herself didn’t have the voice to make change up until recently. It has been revealed that Ashley Judd told her family, agents, and fellow actors/actresses in the business what had happened to her, and it seemed as if Hollywood just turned a blind eye.
With the new movement, “times up,” we see people, Hollywood included, actively going out and making changes. If we continue to look the other way and accept these behaviors, our society will never change. It is up to activists and people who are tired of the system to stand up and say: enough is enough.
