Actress Rose McGowan has said she believes the alleged victims of a new documentary exploring sexual abuse claims against Michael Jackson.
In a new interview with Nihal Arthanayake on 5 Live Headliners, McGowan also addressed fans of the late musician, saying: “I’m sorry your hero was a bad man.”
McGowan, who has been one of the most prominent voices of the #MeToo movement, continued: “It doesn’t mean that you can’t listen to and enjoy his music. You just have to understand that people are complex and this person had a particular complexity that hurt a lot of others.”
Speaking about her belief in the alleged victims from HBO’s Leaving Neverland documentary, McGowan went on: “Why would anyone want to come out and expose themselves to so much hate if they weren’t trying to regain some control in their own life. Control that had been robbed and stolen.”
The documentary, which will air in the UK tonight and tomorrow, focuses on allegations made by two men that claim the late pop star sexually abused them as children.
Both brought civil suits against Jackson’s estate following his death, which were thrown out by a judge in 2017, who ruled the estate could not be held liable for the singer’s behaviour. The Jackson estate have continuously denied the allegations.
Last week, The director of Leaving Neverland said he thought the that more “victims” of Michael Jackson’s alleged abuse will come forward.
Speaking to NME about Michael Jackson’s toxic legacy, the director of the film, Dan Reed, alleges Jackson may have “sexually exploited a good many more” victims, saying that he thought Jackson used fame and “garish tabloid myths” to his advantage in order to conceal the truth.
Reed said: “Michael Jackson had unlimited power and unlimited wealth. Children looked up to him. And he exploited that to the hilt. In James’ and Wade’s cases, that sexual abuse lasted several years. I believe he sexually exploited a good many more little boys in his paedophile career.
“I think [more] will [come out], eventually, yeah. As the Michael Jackson fans say: ‘lies run sprints, but the truth runs marathons’. And that’s exactly what’s happening here. Sooner or later, it will come out.”