Rose McGowan is "heartbroken" following the sexual assault claims made against her friend Asia Argento.

Rose McGowan

Rose McGowan

The 44-year-old actress has been vocal in her fight to end sexual misconduct in Hollywood after claiming she was assaulted by disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein, and has said she is devastated after her friend and fellow actress Asia - who also claimed to have similar experiences with Weinstein - allegedly paid $380,000 to a former child actor who accused her of sexual assault.

Rose wrote on Twitter: "I got to know Asia Argento ten months ago. Our commonality is the shared pain of being assaulted by Harvey Weinstein. My heart is broken. I will continue my work on behalf of victims everywhere."

But the former 'Charmed' star has urged her followers to "be gentle" toward 42-year-old Asia, as so far the reports against her are merely allegations, and nothing has been confirmed.

She added in a second tweet: "None of us know the truth of the situation and I'm sure more will be revealed. Be gentle."

The claims made against Asia were first reported by The New York Times, which claimed that in the months following her allegations against Weinstein, she reached a financial settlement with Jimmy Bennett, who played her son in 2004's 'The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things'.

Jimmy, now 22, claimed that in 2013, Asia sexually assaulted him in a California hotel room two months after he turned 17.

The New York Times reported that Jimmy's attorney Gordon K. Sattro had told them that Jimmy's "feelings about that day were brought to the forefront recently when Ms. Argento took the spotlight as one of the many victims of Harvey Weinstein."

Asia first made claims against Weinstein in October, and is one of over 60 women to have come forward with allegations against the producer.

She accused Weinstein of forcing oral sex on her in 1997, but did admit to having had "consensual sexual relations with [Weinstein] multiple times over the course of the next five years" after the alleged assault, although she described the meetings as "one-sided and 'onanistic.'"

Tagged in