Thandie Newton on Being Left Out of the #TimesUp Movement: 'I Wasn’t Hot Enough'

Actress Thandie Newton is known for being vocal about the exploitation of women in Hollywood, so it’s no surprise that she was upset after being left out of the #TimesUp movement that was started back in January by some of Hollywood’s most famous actresses.

Newton has even shared her own experience with sexual harassment and assault in the industry. When she was a teenager, the actress was sexually abused by a casting director during an audition. She described not being included in the movement as “very painful,” because she felt “ostracized” from Hollywood when she first came forward with her accusations against the director.

She also spoke about why she thinks the #TimesUp crew failed to include her. “I wasn’t hot enough,” she explained to News Corp (according to Vulture), referring to her lower level of fame compared to some of her peers. “I wasn’t mainstream enough and I wasn’t going to be at the Oscars this year, even though I am having a renaissance in my career.”

The Westworld star does seem to be benefiting, however, from some of the attention the #TimesUp movement has put on gender discrimination and wage gaps. The actresses of the show, including Newton, have been promised a wage increase for their third season. They will make as much as their male co-stars on the show.

“They’re all happening right now, and yeah, we’re all equal across the board,” Newton told Vanity Fair about the negotiations. “It’s really exciting. It’s unprecedented. It’s—goodness; it shatters so much calcified pain, resentment, frustration. It just shatters it.”