Photo Rose McGowan at the Anthology Film Archives in July. Credit An Rong Xu for The New York Times
Rose McGowan, the actress turned filmmaker and, seemingly, self-appointed women's rights watchdog and social conscience, startled guests Sunday night at a bipartisan political dinner in Manchester, N.H., announcing after being introduced, "I am completely hijacking this."
The stated aim of No Labels, the group giving the dinner ahead of its Problem Solver Convention on Monday, was to encourage bipartisan leadership. But Ms. McGowan wasn't having it.
Instead, she took the opportunity to chide the crowd: "I do see nonpartisanship," she said. "But I've heard this stuff for years."
She characterized the audience seated before her as a "very, very white room," one that bore little relationship to her "real America."
Her comments rankled.
And not for the first time. Last summer Ms. McGowan stirred a minor tempest when she called out Hollywood for its sexism, posting on Twitter casting notes she had been sent for an audition, which called for her character to wear a form-fitting, cleavage-baring tank top.
Her post went viral — and there were consequences. "My agent fired me," Ms. McGowan had said at the time.
She received high-profile support from Jessica Chastain (in the form of congratulatory Twitter post); Megan Ellison, a film producer; and Holly Marie Combs, who starred with Ms. McGowan in the television series "Charmed." She also received an invitation to appear on "Good Morning America" to talk about what she called the "systemic abuse of women in Hollywood."
Ms. McGowan, who has raised her visibility by rallying support for women's rights, has extended her purview to include issues of racism.
"My America is not what I saw last night" she wrote in an email. "I have seven brothers and sisters, all with very diverse jobs and lives.
"I was raised by a hard working single mother," she continued "I've lived in many states, worked in more."
She added, pointedly: "I've lived on a street that's mixed racially. I can pretty much guarantee that not a politician in that room last night does. What a pity they might learn something. "
Ms. McGowan had been invited to speak Monday on a panel of actors, which included Wayne Knight and Dan Norris of "Breaking Bad," about how storytelling techniques can apply to politics. But No Labels abruptly disinvited her after her comments on Sunday night, according to CNN.
Was she contrite?
"I did what I had to do, and left," Ms. McGowan wrote, without confirming the report. "The other actors t here are tremendous artists and people. I hope they are listened to."
