'Dreamgirls' Actress Anika Noni Rose Reveals She Was Sexually Assaulted On A Plane
Dreamgirls and For Colored Girls actress Anika Noni Rose made a startling revelation during an interview on Thursday, Jan. 18. The actress opened up about an incident that occurred while on a flight last year.
Rose's Horrendous Flight
During her interview with Mark Thompson on his show SiriusXM's Make It Plain, Rose emotionally admitted that she was sexually assaulted on a plane last year. The revelation was painful for Rose to speak on but the actress bravely recounted her story.
"I have never spoken of this, but I will say this out loud now: I was assaulted on a plane last year. And I haven't been able to get this person's name; they won't give me the name of the person," Rose stated.
Rose said that her attacker sat next to her on the plane and began to assault her while she slept. The actress was awakened by the attack and she alerted the plane's crew. Rose claimed that the crew offered to turn the plane around, but she refused and insisted they "keep an eye" on him.
"I wanted to punch that man, and I knew that that would take away from the story that I had to tell. I had to hold in everything that I was feeling to be able to tell this story and be heard and taken seriously from the place I was in," she continued.
After the man was removed from the plane, The Quad actress stated that she did file a police report but no charges have been brought against him. Rose also discussed the importance of reporting any sexual crime and just because it isn't "rape" does not make it less important.
"It doesn't make it less of a violation. It's a different type of violation, but it doesn't make it less shocking -- I'll say that."
The Everything, Everything actress is one of the latest celebrities to reveal they have been sexually assaulted. More men and women began speaking up and outing their attackers after a plethora of women accused Harvey Weinstein of raping, abusing, and harassing them. Since then, movements such as #MeToo and Time's Up have been created to help combat the ongoing epidemic and provide better opportunities for women.
Rose is scheduled to be a presenter for the 22nd Annual Art Directors Guild Awards along with actor Gary Oldman.
