BRAVE

MULTI-MEDIA ARTIST | THOUGHT LEADER | ACTIVIST

To say that Rose McGowan had an uncommon life is an inadequate statement. Born in Florence, Italy, to American parents, she spent the first ten years of life in a polygamous religious cult, The Children of God, run by her father. The patriarchal communal lifestyle required shared responsibility for supporting the group, and Rose became a child model appearing in major Italian magazines as well as street performing.

Her parents left the cult and returned to the US when she was ten years old. At fifteen Rose legally emancipated herself. Homeless, lonely and barely surviving, her first acting job came from a chance encounter with a woman on a street corner that turned into a lucrative career. 

After years of film and television roles and high profile tumultuous relationships, McGowan tired of the abuse from Hollywood. She was one of the first actresses to make a rape accusation against Harvey Weinstein. Weinstein used his considerable power and resources in an attempt to destroy McGowan and at one point hired a private intelligence agency to spy on her every move to stop outlets from reporting their investigations on him.  Through her will and bravery Rose prevailed. Weinstein was found guilty and sentenced to twenty-three years in prison.

Following her Hollywood exit, McGowan wrote and directed Dawn - a short film that debuted to critical acclaim, released her single RM486 - named after the abortion drug, produced a studio album - Planet 9, wrote her memoir Brave, starred in a four-part documentary series - Citizen Rose and appeared in the art film Indecision IV, that debuted at the Venice Biennale. 

Time magazine recognized Rose as Person of the Year for speaking out about sexual assault and harassment.  Rose continues to put her enormous effort and energy into political and human rights causes, especially those of women. She’s Brave.