Asia Argento is in a fighting mood.
The actress — a pioneer in the #metoo campaign — is fighting against her own accusations of sexual impropriety involving former co-star Jimmy Bennett.
“Dear @RoseMcGowan. It is with genuine regret that I am giving you 24 hours to retract and apologise [sic] for the horrendous lies made against me in your statement of August 27th,” Argento tweeted on the morning of September 17. “If you fail to address this libel I will have no option other than to take immediate legal action.”
Dear @RoseMcGowan. It is with genuine regret that I am giving you 24 hours to retract and apologise for the horrendous lies made against me in your statement of August 27th. If you fail to address this libel I will have no option other than to take immediate legal action.
— Asia Argento (@AsiaArgento) September 17, 2018
Actress Rose McGowan, who worked closely with Argento in the #metoo movement, initially supported Argento, but severed their friendship in an August 27 statement.
“Asia, you were my friend,” McGowan wrote. “I loved you. You’ve spent and risked a lot to stand with the #MeToo movement. I really hope you find your way through this process to rehabilitation and betterment. Anyone can be better – I hope you can be, too. Do the right thing. Be honest. Be fair. Let justice stay its course. Be the person you wish Harvey could have been.”
Why Asia Argento is threatening Rose McGowan with legal action
The reason: McGowan’s partner, Rain Dove, released some text screenshots allegedly from Argento that admitted she had sex with the then-17-year-old Bennett. Dove later turned those texts over to Los Angeles authorities.
“I’ve referred to Asia in the past as ‘My Ride or Die’ and said very clearly that [Dove’s] friendship comes first,” McGowan wrote. “I know that coming to me with those messages must have been hard for Rain because of that so I commend them for their bravery.”
Argento’s first public statement alleged that Bennett’s accusations — and subsequent $380,000 settlement — was extortion and hinted that he had mental illness.
“Whether or not the extortion case is true — it wasn’t fair and it wasn’t right,” McGowan added. “It is the type of thing I fight against alongside so many.”
“To the people who have checked in with me to see if I’m alright- the answer is thank you and Yes. I’ll be fine,” McGowan added. “Its [sic] sad to lose a friend connection, but whats [sic] even more sad is what happened to Jimmy Bennet [sic].”
McGowan concluded: “Do the right thing. Be honest. Be fair. Let justice stay its course. Be the person you wish Harvey could have been.”
Argento’s tweet didn’t detail the “lies” in the statement, but it’s clear this is a situation that’s only just beginning.
