Culture

Jessica Chastain responds to actress' claim she wasn't invited to join Times Up movement

Actor Jessica Chastain arrives to the 75th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, Jan. 7, 2018, in Beverly Hills, Calif. | Thandie Newton attends the premiere of "Westworld" during the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival at BMCC Tribeca PAC, April 19, 2018, in New York City.
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April 25, 2018, 1:11 PM

Jessica Chastain has responded to claims by fellow actress Thandie Newton that she was not invited to join the Times Up movement.

In an interview that was published over the weekend, Newton said she "wasn't hot enough" to be invited to join the movement that hopes to put an end to sexual harassment and assault in the film industry and beyond.

Over a two-day period, Chastain, who is a leader in Times Up, posted several times in an attempt to clear up any confusion between herself and the "Westworld" star.

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"I invited you to the first meeting at my house Nov 27th but unfortunately you were out of town. It wasn't called #TimesUp cuz we didn't have a name. It was just a group of actresses coming together to see how we could support the brave women coming forward & create lasting change," she tweeted. "I have felt so bad that some feel excluded. I was never asked to join anything, I just came forward to see how I could be of service. No one is unwelcome. The more women that come together, standing shoulder to shoulder, the stronger we are."

She continued, "You, and so many others, were so brave to speak up & start this movement. It is my goal to make sure it will never be in vain. I will always support you and what you did."

Thandie Newton attends the Premiere of HBO's "Westworld" Season 2 at The Cinerama Dome, April 16, 2018, in Los Angeles.
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In response to Newton's claim that she wasn't good enough to be invited, Chastain wrote, "You don't have to have a 'hot' film career to come to a meeting. Half of the people at my house were from theatre. @thandienewton has an open invitation to come to any meeting and join in. I respect her so much and would love for her to be involved."

In her interview with The Telegraph, Newton said about Times Up, "I have been an activist for 20 years. It's been a long time coming."

As for her alleged invitation snub: "I wasn't hot enough. I wasn't mainstream enough and I wasn't going to be at the Oscars this year," she said.

On Monday, fellow activist and Times Up leader Amber Tamblyn also responded to Newton's claims.

"100% what Jessica said. None of us needed an invitation to do the work. We just did the work. Period. This is such a disheartening dialogue to be having with fellow women. Such a shame," she wrote.

Times Up was created late last year in response to the wave of sexual harassment and assault stories being told online and in the media. Founding members include Chastain, Reece Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Aniston, among others.