Alyssa Milano would quit acting for activism

7 August 2018

Alyssa Milano would give up acting in order to keep being an activist.

Alyssa Milano

The 45-year-old actress - who was one of the women to accuse disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment - has become known for her work in campaigning for gender equality amongst other issues, and has said that her activism comes before her career, as it helps her "stay true" to who she is.

When asked if she'd rather be an activist or an actress, the 'Insatiable' star said: "I just really believe that if I stay ... If my integrity stays intact and I stay true to who I am and what I believe in - which is equality, and that every child deserves a healthy happy childhood - I have to stay true to that. And if it means I'm not gonna work in this industry, then I'm not gonna work in this industry. But at least I can go to bed knowing that I fought the good fight."

Alyssa - who has son Milo, six, and daughter Elizabella, three, with her husband Dave Bugliari - has been an activist since she was a teenager, and admits she wouldn't know how to "function" if she gave it up.

Speaking to People Now, she added: "And also, I've been an activist since I was 15 years old. For me, I don't know any other way to function, like I can't not be vocal about issues. So that would be disingenuous, I have to be organic to myself and right now there's a lot to fight for."

Following on from her allegations against Harvey Weinstein, the former 'Charmed' star was one of the first people to start using the #MeToo hashtag on Twitter late last year, which became a campaign for those who wanted to share their own sexual harassment stories.

She wrote on the micro-blogging website: "If you've been sexually harassed or assaulted write 'me too' as a reply to this tweet.

"Me too.

"Suggested by a friend: "If all the women who have been sexually harrassed or assaulted wrote 'Me too.' as a status, we might give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem." (sic)"

And within a matter of hours, Alyssa's tweet had gone viral, with women all around the world responding to her request, including the likes of Evan Rachel Wood, Gabrielle Union and Lady Gaga.