Asia Argento is standing by her claim that she didn't engage in sexual misconduct with a minor. In a tweet sent early Monday morning, the actress tweeted that she may take legal action against former friend Rose McGowan, who publicly ended their friendship after actor Jimmy Bennett accused Argento of sexually assaulting him when he was 17. Argento has consistently denied Bennett's allegations and has since accused him of sexually attacking her and harassing her for money.
In August, McGowan released a lengthy statement denouncing Argento's alleged behaviour and calling on her to "do the right thing." Both women were prominent activists for the #MeToo movement and were among the first people to come forward with allegations against disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
"Dear @RoseMcGowan. It is with genuine regret that I am giving you 24 hours to retract and apologise for the horrendous lies made against me in your statement of August 27th," Argento wrote. "If you fail to address this libel I will have no option other than to take immediate legal action."
Dear @RoseMcGowan. It is with genuine regret that I am giving you 24 hours to retract and apologise for the horrendous lies made against me in your statement of August 27th. If you fail to address this libel I will have no option other than to take immediate legal action.
— Asia Argento (@AsiaArgento) September 17, 2018
Reps for McGowan and Argento didn't immediately respond to Refinery29's request for comment, and McGowan has yet to respond publicly to Argento's tweet.
In a statement released to Refinery29 in August, McGowan explained that she first learned of Argento's alleged behaviour through her partner, Rain Dove, whom she claimed had text messages proving that the Italian actress admitted to having sex with Bennett. (McGowan also claimed Bennett had sent Argento "unsolicited nudes" when he was 12.) McGowan also said that she fully supported Dove taking these texts to the police, despite believing that they could derail the #MeToo movement.
"There absolutely should be no leeway or tolerance for sexual assault. Hard stop. NONE," she continued in her statement. "Victims also shouldn't be told how they should react or what they should say about their abusers. However as allies to the victim and voyeurs of an event we should find a better way to balance support of the victim with due process for the accused."
She concluded her statement with a call for Argento to "be the person you wish Harvey could have been."
If you have experienced sexual violence of any kind, please visit Rape Crisis or call 0808 802 9999.