--- title: Isabella Rossellini Sounds Off on Me Too Movement, Assault description: Isabella Rossellini speaks out on the Me Too movement, sexual violence against women, and why she isn;t speaking about her personal trauma. canonical: https://time.com/5243358/isabella-rossellini-on-me-too/ author: Cady Lang article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-04-17T21:19:41.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:47:17.467Z og:title: Isabella Rossellini Discusses the #MeToo Movement, Assault og:description: "All women have been harassed, but it was never discussed before." og:url: https://time.com/5243358/isabella-rossellini-on-me-too/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3ce53e03e3953ae6/69892dd80a4a2234d89d26c6/isabella-rossellini-me-too-movement.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2000 og:image:height: 1125 og:image:alt: Celebrities Visit SiriusXM - December 11, 2017 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Isabella Rossellini Discusses the #MeToo Movement, Assault twitter:description: "All women have been harassed, but it was never discussed before." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3ce53e03e3953ae6/69892dd80a4a2234d89d26c6/isabella-rossellini-me-too-movement.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Isabella Rossellini on the #MeToo Movement: 'Men Have to See They Can’t Behave in These Ways' ## Video: TIME Person of the Year 2017: The Silence Breakers [Watch (HLS stream): TIME Person of the Year 2017: The Silence Breakers](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/jbtW5SvJ.m3u8) (5:02)  _Published 2017-12-06. For giving voice to open secrets, for moving whisper networks onto social networks, for pushing all of us to stop accepting the unacceptable, the Silence Breakers are the 2017 Person of the Year._  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Apr 17, 2018 9:19 PM UTC  NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 11: Isabella Rossellini visits SiriusXM at SiriusXM Studios on December 11, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images) NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 11: Isabella Rossellini visits SiriusXM at SiriusXM Studios on December 11, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)Roy Rochlin—Getty Images  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Apr 17, 2018 9:19 PM UTC [Isabella Rossellini](http://content.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1890157,00.html) is sounding off on the [#MeToo movement](http://time.com/time-person-of-the-year-2017-silence-breakers/) and sexual violence against women. In an interview with [_Vulture_](http://www.vulture.com/2018/04/isabella-rossellini-in-conversation.html)_,_ the actress, perhaps best known for her role in David Lynch’s [_Blue Velvet_](http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,962355,00.html), a film that garnered controversy when it was released for [its depiction of violent sex — and what some considered, sexual violence](https://www.nytimes.com/1986/11/23/movies/isabella-rossellini-assesses-the-role-that-haunted-her.html) — shared her thoughts on sexual harassment and how her coming-of-age in Italy informed her experience with assault. “I remember when I was a little girl in Italy — not so little, a teenager — men on the street would say, ‘I like your t-ts!’” she said. “It was vulgar, it was normal, and it was done for different reasons. Maybe nature is one of those reasons but that’s not an excuse.” Rossellini emphasized the importance of women being able to talk about their experiences with harassment as a tool of change and the importance of holding men accountable for their actions. “I’m happy that we are talking about these issues because all women have been harassed, but it was never discussed before,” she said. “We just lived with it. Even if you didn’t have anything violent happen to you, there was always a way for a man to belittle you. This is changing, I think. Men have to see they can’t behave in these ways.” Although Rossellini has referenced the sexual violence she has experienced in her own life in her memoir, she has no wish to share her personal account now, something that she shared she doesn’t “have the heart for.’ She did, however, discuss the nuance that the conversation around #MeToo is bringing to the table. “For me, the interesting thing is how the #MeToo movement has shown us all the subtle ways women can be diminished,” she said. “Rape is a way of being hurt that everyone can recognize. There are other ways. It could be your boss saying, ‘I like your skirt on you.’ It’s a compliment, but it makes you feel diminished. To hear other women express their stories and to show how devious some men can be — that is what has been so helpful to see…I’m grateful that people who were victimized are speaking up because that is the only way to correct things. The important thing is for people to be healed.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5243358/isabella-rossellini-on-me-too/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5243358/isabella-rossellini-on-me-too/"},"headline":"Isabella Rossellini on the #MeToo Movement: 'Men Have to See They Can’t Behave in These Ways'","datePublished":"2018-04-17T21:19:41.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:47:17.467Z","description":"\"All women have been harassed, but it was never discussed before. 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