Today, Rose McGowan is at the frontlines of the #MeToo movement, pushing for change and transparency. But getting to this point has been a two-decade long journey of planning and strategizing for the actress and activist. McGowan told Cheddar that ever since Harvey Weinstein sexually assaulted her in 1997, she “set about going after him.” “[In] a very David vs. Goliath sort of way, I took a TV show that was not my pace,” she said, referring to her role as Paige Matthews in the hit show “Charmed.” “But strategically...I knew if I could go into the show and hang on, when it was time to press the button so to speak, it would be newsworthy all over the world.” Her determination to bring down Weinstein and upend Hollywood’s male-dominated structure is also driven by her childhood experience as part of the cult “Children of God,” which she said has many parallels with Hollywood. “Anytime you have a power structure with a few people at the top [who] are benefiting, and you aren’t, and you’re all doing things collectively that make it better for them…that really is the definition of a cult,” she explained. Hollywood “is a pretty beastly place” that is “making the mirror for you to look in,” which puts it in a dangerously powerful position, she said. Still, McGowan said she’s “inherently optimistic” and hasn’t let her experiences harden her. She recounts her journey of dealing with sexual assault in her new book “Brave.” For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/rose-mcgowan-on-the-hollywood-cult).

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