Denise Richards Says She Was the Victim of Sexual Harassment as a Young Actress

Long before she played a Bond girl alongside Pierce Brosnan’s iteration of the super spy,Denise Richardsreceived unwanted attention as a young actress starting out in Hollywood. Opening up about her experiences, the actress revealed that not only was she subjected to sexual harassment, but was shockingly told that if she did anything about it, there was a good chance she would be “blacklisted” in the industry.

Times have certainly changed, and recently the number of horror stories that have been shared by many stars, mostly actresses, have highlighted exactly howwidespread the issue of harassmentin many forms has been over the years. During a conversation withPeople, theWild Thingsstar explained exactly why she never made a complaint about her ordeal. She said:

“I was told I would be blacklisted. I felt so vulnerable. This was the career I wanted to do. To be told that you’re never going to work in an industry that you are passionate about, it’s a hard thing. I am glad that women are able to have more of a voice and be more protected. If that happened at this age, I would handle it differently, but I was so young and an unknown and [just] starting out.”

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Now a mother, Richards has three daughters of her own: Sami, 20, Lola, 19, and Eloise, 13. For the actress, watching them grow up and not be afraid to stand up for themselves is something that she really wishes she had been able to do when she was younger. She added:

“I look at my daughters doing our show and being such strong women. If I had that, I think I would’ve been able to handle it a little differently. I wish I had the confidence that they have because I would never be able to stand out for myself the way they do. I didn’t, and I’m so proud of them. I’m so proud that they say what’s on their mind. They sometimes don’t have a filter, and a lot of the time, that is such a good thing.”

Denise Richards Opened Up About Being Assaulted When She Was a Child

This is not the first time that Richards has spoken about suffering troubling and unwanted attention when she was younger. While appearing onSpecial Forces: World’s Toughest Testback in January, the actress revealed thatshe was assaulted by a stranger when she was just 15. This is something that obviously had a lasting impression on her life. She said of the incident:

“I was 15, and I noticed a man following me… He came up from behind me, put his hand around my mouth, grabbed my vagina, and started dragging me. And I froze. I couldn’t even scream for help.”

When the actress found herself being harassed in her early years in Hollywood, it is likely that this incident was brought back in a big way, and not being able to talk about it for fear of losing her career must have been a terrible position to find herself in through no fault of her own. Although she is one of those who has come out of the other side of her ordeals, it doesn’t take anything away from the fact that no one should have to endure that kind of trauma, and if they do, they should not feel forced to stay silent about it in fear of losing something they love.

Source:People

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