Former Charmed star Rose McGowan won't stand for the sexist double standard that reigns over Hollywood. Last week, she tweeted a picture of an audition casting note she received for a movie starring an actor whose name "rhymes with Madam Panhandler" (read: Adam Sandler).
casting note that came w/script I got today. For real. name of male star rhymes with Madam Panhandler hahahaha I die pic.twitter.com/lCWGTV537t
— rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) June 18, 2015
Reactions were mixed, with one Twitter user completely missing the point, asking, "didn't you get naked on camera just last year? Is the fact that you have to wear clothes for a role that's putting you off?" But overwhelmingly, fans and the media took McGowan's side, stressing how unacceptable it is to ask an actress to "show off cleavage" and wear a push-up bra—especially when you can bet that Sandler himself will be wearing XXL sweatpants.
"I was offended by the stupidity more than anything," McGowan explained in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. "I was offended by the fact that it went through so many people’s hands and nobody red flagged it. This is normal to so many people." She added that her goal was not to "villify Adam Sandler," although he had made sexist comments in the past.
Although her comments will have cost her this particular role (which we're sure she didn't want anyway!), McGowan's career is anything but over. Her first short film, Dawn, which premiered at Sundance last year and is now available for streaming on YouTube, was widely praised by critics. You go, girl!