Olivia Munn says stress of Time’s Up movement caused an all-body rash
'We can’t tell stories about people and then not care about them'
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Your support makes all the difference.Olivia Munn says the stress of the Time's Up movement had a physical impact on her, causing her to develop a rash over her whole body.
In 2017, the X-Men: Apocalypse star was one of six women to make public accusations of sexual harassment and misconduct against film director Brett Ratner.
The allegations were made shortly before the creation of the Time's Up movement in January 2018, the campaign created to fight sexual harassment following the growth of the #MeToo movement.
According to Munn, the wave of sexual harassment and assault allegations in Hollywood and beyond has caused her to be so stressed that it has had an adverse effect on her health.
The star developed a rash all over her skin, which doctors initially and wrongfully believed was lupus, she says.
The actor later realised the rash had been caused by stress, which she explains stemmed from the spate of sexual harassment allegations in the entertainment industry.
"One of the things that stresses me out more than anything is how do we do right by [the silence breakers]?" Munn tells Women's Health magazine, referring to those who have spoken openly about their experiences of sexual harassment and assault.
The actor explains that publicly supporting the Time's Up movement isn't an adequate form of action.
In Munn's opinion, those in the entertainment industry need to also prove that they "care" about the stories that they're telling by listening to sexual assault survivors.
"It's infuriating. We can't tell stories about people and then not care about them," the 38-year-old says.
Munn explains that the "real advocates" for social change are the ones who "stand beside the people who make a difference in the world".
Last year, Munn alerted 20th Century Fox to the fact that a registered sex offender had been cast in the 2018 Predator reboot, in which she stars.
In 2010, the man in question, Steven Wilder Striegel, pleaded guilty to attempting to entice a 14-year-old girl into a sexual relationship through online communication.
The American film studio responded by cutting Striegel from the scene in which he appears.
According to Munn, several of her fellow cast members from the film, in addition to director Shane Black, avoided her following the disclosure of Striegel's past.
"It'd been a very lonely feeling to be sitting here by myself when I should be sitting her with the rest of the cast," the actor told The Hollywood Reporter.
"I do feel like I've been treated by some people like I'm the one who went to jail or I'm the one that put this guy on set."
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