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Actor and director made headlines after railing at a misogynist casting call for an Adam Sandler film, but says Wenzel had already left agency Innovative

Rose McGowan has confirmed her agent Sheila Wenzel was not responsible for “firing” the actor and director in the wake of her critical comments regarding sexism in Hollywood.

It is understood Wenzel left agency Innovative prior to McGowan’s infamous tweet on June 17, in which she railed at a casting note calling for actors to show off their cleavage with push-up bras. She later revealed the call was for an unspecified Adam Sandler film.

McGowan made headlines around the world on Thursday when she tweeted that she had been “fired” by her “wussy acting agent” for pointing out “the bullshit in Hollywood”. The Hollywood Reporter later named her agents as Sheila Wenzel and Steve Muller at Innovative Artists.

I just got fired by my wussy acting agent because I spoke up about the bullshit in Hollywood. Hahaha. #douchebags #awesome #BRINGIT

— rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) June 25, 2015

However, the actor has since taken to Twitter to clarify that Wenzel was not involved in her departure, calling her “a wonderful agent that ceased working with Innovative before my firing”. Wenzel also appeared to show support for McGowan on Twitter, retweeting a post in which the actor said the wonderful thing about being an artist was that “you can’t be fired from your own mind”.

Sheila Wenzel is a wonderful agent that ceased working with Innovative before my firing. She's a good, strong woman I'm proud to know.

— rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) June 25, 2015

Meanwhile, a report in Variety quotes a source at Sandler’s production company Happy Madison who denied all responsibility for the offending casting note. “They were not aware the casting director sent this note out,” the source said. “They felt it was completely inappropriate and have made sure that it has not been sent out again.”

Wenzel had also worked with Amanda Seyfried and Tomorrowland’s Britt Robertson at Innovative. On Thursday afternoon the under-fire agency issued a statement to the Hollywood Reporter confirming the departure. “Sheila Wenzel, Rose McGowan’s primary agent, parted ways with Innovative before McGowan’s tweet yesterday,” the statement reads. “Wenzel was not the primary agent for Amanda Seyfried and Britt Robertson.”

McGowan received support on Twitter yesterday from the Oscar-winning actor and feminist Jessica Chastain, who said her treatment confirmed “the misogyny underpinning the industry”.

As do I. Her treatment confirms the misogyny underpinning the industry. She should be celebrated for speaking out.👏 https://t.co/yUyO0LXkFd

— Jessica Chastain (@jes_chastain) June 25, 2015

 Sourece: The Guardian

"I just got fired by my wussy acting agent because I spoke up about the bullshit in Hollywood," the actress tweeted Wednesday.

Rose McGowan appears to be changing agents.

In a Twitter message posted June 17, the Charmed actress criticized the wardrobe description for a part in a film that she received an audition script for. She said the forthcoming film stars a male actor whose name rhymes with "Madam Panhandler," and she later confirmed to E! that the star is Adam Sandler.

She pointed out that actresses auditioning for the role were told to wear a "black (or dark) form-fitting tank that shows off cleavage (push-up bras encouraged). And form-fitting leggings or jeans."

On Wednesday, McGowan tweeted that she had been dropped by her agent following the flap.

"I just got fired by my wussy acting agent because I spoke up about the bullshit in Hollywood. Hahaha. #douchebags #awesome #BRINGIT," she tweeted.

McGowan, who has recently appeared on Crackle's Chosen and ABC's Once Upon a Time, had been repped by Sheila Wenzel and Steve Muller at Innovative Artists. Wenzel and Muller did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

McGowan's tweets can be seen below.

casting note that came w/script I got today. For real. name of male star rhymes with Madam Panhandler hahahaha I die pic.twitter.com/lCWGTV537t

— rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) June 18, 2015

I just got fired by my wussy acting agent because I spoke up about the bullshit in Hollywood. Hahaha. #douchebags #awesome #BRINGIT

— rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) June 25, 2015

The awesome thing about being an artist? You can't be fired from your own mind. #FREEDOM

— rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) June 25, 2015

McGowan, 41, who recently made the jump to directing with the critically acclaimed Sundance short Dawn, has described her reasons for making the initial comment in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.

“It was just so dumb,” she said. “I was offended by the stupidity more than anything. I was offended by the fact that went through so many people’s hands and nobody red flagged it. This is normal to so many people. It was probably even a girl that had to type it up. It’s institutionally OK.

“The part that made me laugh was where it said, ‘Make sure you read the script so you understand the context of the scene,’” said McGowan. “That was the part that made me laugh the hardest.”

McGowan said she was “not trying to vilify Adam Sandler”, but added: “Although someone did tell me that when he did his Netflix deal, he said, ‘I signed with Netflix because it rhymes with Wet Chicks.’ I mean, what? What in the fuck is going on? No!”

The actor, who will make her feature film directing debut on the upcoming thriller The Pines, said she had battled Hollywood sexism for more than two decades.

“When I did my first film, I was told by my agent that I would need to have long hair so men in this town would want to fuck me and hire me,” she said. “That was said to a 17-year-old.”

Source: The Hollywood Reporter & The Guardian

"Dawn" will be playing for a week in L.A. along with female-driven films picked by the director 

ShortBeat is a weekly round-up of news from the world of short filmmaking, spotlighting up-and-coming talent and some of the best content on the web.

When Rose McGowan’s short-film directorial debut Dawn premiered at Sundance this winter it took many by surprise. It didn’t look like the work of someone who had been acting since she was a teenager (TV’s Charmed, Grindhouse, The Black Dahlia), but rather the work of a cinephile who had spent a lifetime feasting on the classics.

"I am a big film and art buff, I think better films would be made if more people were," McGowan tells The Hollywood Reporter. "My three inspirations for Dawn were the look of the original Parent Trap, the tension of Night of the Hunter and the loneliness of an Edward Hopper painting."

The highly stylized short, set in Kennedy-era America, tells the story of Dawn (Tara Barr), a teenager living a sheltered existence. When a hunky and mysterious gas station attendant (Reiley McClendon) innocently flirts with Dawn, the door to all her teenage dreams swings open. What follows is not your typical story of sexual awakening, but rather a surprisingly twisty film of heightened reality that could best be described as Douglas Sirk-meets-David Lynch.

After generating some acclaim for Dawn earlier this year, McGowan is now hoping the film can nab an Academy Award nomination. To qualify for best short it must be publicly exhibited for paid admission in Los Angeles for three consecutive days, but McGowan has decided to turn her qualifying run into a week long “Dawn Festival” and will be setting up residency at the Downtown Independent on Sept 19.

For seven nights, Dawn will be accompanied by a movie picked by McGowan. According to a statement, the films were chosen because they “feature iconic performances by actresses that prove rich, complex and layered roles can and should be written for and by women.” The films will screen with McGowan and special guests in attendance.

For the former Charmed actress, Dawn and its Oscar run are her first steps towards directing features. "I have three features in the works right now," McGowan tells THR. "Two are in rewrites. One is a bigger film, one smaller. After conservatively estimating my time on sets at over 17,000 hours, I’m more than ready."

Here’s the full "Dawn Festival" lineup, along with McGowan’s reasoning for picking each film:

Safe: "Todd Haynes directed Julianne Moore in a haunting study of a woman's life."

Thelma & Louise: "Ridley Scott directed two substantial actresses in two substantial, inspiring roles."

Harold and Maude: "Hal Ashby directed Ruth Gordon. Two creatives on a creative journey."

Sixteen Candles: "John Hughes directed Molly Ringwald. He made a teen's hopes and hurts real."

Rosemary’s Baby: "Roman Polanski directed Mia Farrow in a virtuoso breakdown performance."

Silkwood: "Mike Nichols directed Meryl Streep and Cher. They showed us women can change the world by finding their voice."

The Silence of the Lambs: "Jonathan Demme directed Jodie Foster. She showed us what a person can do when they go forward despite their fear."

Source: The Hollywood Reporter