Denise Richards isn’t keeping quiet anymore.
Richards revealed she was sexually harassed as a young actress and scared into silence as she reflected on how the #MeToo movement introduced a “needed” change within the entertainment industry.
“I was told I would be blacklisted [if I spoke about it],” the actress, who stars alongside husband Aaron Phypers and her daughters in a new reality TV series “Denise Richards and Her Wild Things,” told People in an interview published Saturday.
“I felt so vulnerable,” she said. “This was the career I wanted to do. To be told that you’re never going to work in an industry that you are passionate about, it’s a hard thing.”
“I am glad that women are able to have more of a voice and be more protected,” she continued. “If that happened at this age, I would handle it differently, but I was so young and an unknown and [just] starting out.”
The mom of three continued, telling the outlet that her daughters inspire her to look at situations like hers through a different lens.
“I look at my daughters doing our show and being such strong women. If I had that, I think I would’ve been able to handle it a little differently,” she shared.
“I wish I had the confidence that they have because I would never be able to stand out for myself the way they do.”
The former “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star shares daughters Sami, 20, and Lola, 19, with ex-husband Charlie Sheen. She adopted a third daughter, Eloise, in 2013.
She continued: “I didn’t, and I’m so proud of them. I’m so proud that they say what’s on their mind. They sometimes don’t have a filter, and a lot of the time, that is such a good thing.”
Richards noted that she was “such a people pleaser” during the early days of her decades-long career. But she admires how her daughters show up for themselves.
“I love that my girls, this early in their career, that they’re able to [speak up]. Sometimes I’m like, ‘You might want to tone it down,’ but for the most part I’m glad that they’re able to say [what’s on their mind.] I wish I was able to back then,” she said.
The “Wild Things” star also gave credit to her late mother, Joni, for making her “such a survivor.”
“My mom always said, ‘This too shall pass.’ I have been through it, but a lot of people have. I’ve always said, ‘Someone else always has it worse, and you will get through this,’” she said. “I’ve realized that I’m stronger than I thought I was.”
“Denise Richards and her Wild Things” premieres on Bravo on March 4.
