DORÉ

Rose McGowan is so many things. She is an artist, a musician, a business owner, a writer, a director, an activist, just to name a few, and she is passionate about everything she does. She welcomed me into her home in Los Angeles where we connected about our, well over our pajamas first, and then over our mutual belief that you can be creative in anything you do, and her desire to see more women start breaking the rules.

We talked about her decision to move behind the lens into directing, and the realization that how people perceive you shouldn’t influence how you feel about yourself, and you definitely shouldn’t let it hold you back. Rose is open, honest and speaks her mind, and it feels good.

I hope you enjoy this podcast.

[podcast_episode episode=”252288″ ]

On moving to the U.S. from Italy as a child…
I remember crying when I first saw spaghetti in America. I knew it would never be the same! I was obviously very dramatic. And for some reason, my mother didn’t tell me that I was going to another place, things will be different, and people speak a different language. I understood English but I didn’t speak it. I never heard music playing through the supermarket speakers. I had never seen giant cars. It was loud!

On her private life…
My life that I lived off screen was a really big life, and always has been, but that was not available for public consumption or knowledge, and not their business.

On breaking rules…
So many women in this town, in this industry, specifically, play by the boys’ club rules. I hope that is changing and they realize it doesn’t benefit them.

On what she cares about as an activist…
It’s women, generally, but it’s more like consciousness, I would say. It’s like puncturing consciousness.

On if she knew she’d always end up directing…
No. I didn’t see any examples around me. It just didn’t occur to me. It was actually two gay, male friends who came and said, Rose, it’s time. I would direct every movie in my head, but I was in someone else’s movie. I would get to the set and think, this is the wrong house, the wrong actor, I might be the wrong actress in this. Oh god. The movie in my head was totally different, and frankly, often times much better.

On Hollywood shaping women…
This town, besides making you into a commodity, is obsessed with trying to make women be hot. I’m like no, ladies, you actually want to be cool. There is a temperature difference.

On dating in L.A….
I was living in Silver Lake and I dated somebody in Venice for like a month, and I was like, you’re geographically too far, I can’t do it. And then I went out with someone in New York for three years right after that. And that was easier than going to Venice from the other side of L.A.!

On what we can do to be more conscious and help others…
Hire women. Do it on purpose. If it doesn’t work out, hire another one. But more than that, in your own life, when you see those billboards, do something about it. When you see, hear men, gay or straight, or other women, talking smack about other women, or saying things that are negative, correct them. And then say, would you like to get a drink? People always think it has to be this huge confrontation, it really doesn’t.

On what she hopes her work brings…
My goal with my book, and a lot of stuff I have upcoming, my album, my films and skincare, that’s about raising consciousness. I would love it if everybody on the planet, including myself, was 10% more awake.

On doing better…
If you don’t know what to do, man or woman, what would your higher self do? What would your better self do in this situation and imitate that. Do things that make you uncomfortable, for sure. It is uncomfortable speaking up, oh well! Then you get comfortable right afterward. You were also uncomfortable when you were growing tall, weren’t you? Your legs hurt, but you got taller.