She said what? Angela Lansbury was criticized after her interview with Radio Times was published on Tuesday, November 28.
“We must sometimes take blame, women. I really do think that,” the 92-year-old Murder, She Wrote actress said in regards to the recent onslaught of sexual harassment claims in Hollywood. “There are two sides to this coin.”
Adding fuel to the fire, the Tony award-winning actress continued, “Although it’s awful to say we can’t make ourselves look as attractive as possible without being knocked down and raped. We have to own up to the fact that women, since time immemorial, have gone out of their way to make themselves attractive. And unfortunately it has backfired on us – and this is where we are today.”
Though she emphasized that blame should not be placed on the victims of harassment or assault, fans tweeted an outpour of disappointment in the beloved star.
“Oh, Angela Lansbury, these comments are so misguided. ‘Without being knocked down and raped’ – I beg your pardon? No woman should think that taking care of her appearance & wanting to look/dress how she wants should mean she should expect being raped as a result?” one commenter wrote.
Another added, “Angela Lansbury went 92 years without being controversial but decided victim-blaming was the opinion to throw herself under the bus over.”
Meanwhile, supporters defended her, writing that perhaps it has to do with her age and the era she was raised in – and that didn’t sit well with others. “My Gran is 88 years old and would never suggest that rape victims ‘must sometimes take the blame.’? Angela Lansbury’s age doesn’t give her a free pass.”
The veteran actress told Radio Times that she didn’t suffer any harassment or abuse from male executives during the course of her career, which spanned over seven decades.
As previously reported, Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Piven, Louis C.K. and many more notable figures in Hollywood have been accused of sexual harassment since October. This all began following an exposé published by the New York Times on Weinstein detailing three decades of sexual harassment and assault accusations against the studio executive. Many of the accused men have denied the allegations made against them, although Louis C.K. confirmed the claims in a statement to Us Weekly and apologized for his behavior.
