Regina King has praised the #MeToo movement for helping women “find their voice”.
King won the best supporting actress Academy Award for her role in Barry Jenkins’ If Beale Street Could Talk, a film which features the struggles of a pregnant African American woman when her partner is falsely accused of rape.
Discussing sexual assault, King said all women have either “experienced a violation” first-hand or “lifted a sister up through that”.
King said women “hold each other up through a secret that shouldn’t be a secret” before praising the impact of #MeToo.
The movement rose to prominence in the wake of accusations of a culture of widespread sexual assault in Hollywood.
However King said #MeToo has advanced beyond sexual assault and has allowed women to “find their voice”.
Speaking backstage following her win, she said it is: “Creating opportunities for women to find their voice even beyond just being violated sexually, but being marginalised, being violated.
“When you have put in the work to be at the table and being denied a seat at the table, this movement has allowed us and has inspired us to say ‘no, I am supposed to have a seat at that table’. So that energy was going on throughout the production of this film.
“Barry supported that and lifted it up as well. And that’s the thing – when you have men and women working together, pretty amazing things happen.”
King won in a category also containing Amy Adams for Vice, Marina de Tavira for Roma and The Favourite pair Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz.
