Hollywood legend Kim Novak, 81, has spoken out about the "bullying" she received from the press and her Hollywood peers after she presented an award at this year's Oscar ceremony. As soon as she appeared onstage Twitter went into a meltdown with criticism over her appearance. Donald Trump tweeted that she "should sue her plastic surgeon," and speculation as to what surgery she had had done & how it had gone wrong littered the tabloid press for weeks.
Long in seclusion, Novak recently come back into the spotlight to enjoy renewed interest in her film career, which included roles opposite William Holden in Picnic (1955), Frank Sinatra in The Man With the Golden Arm (1956) and Pal Joey (1957), James Stewart in Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo (1958), & many other fine roles.
On her official Facebook page Novak wrote:
It’s time to address the elephant in the room...the Oscars. I was very excited when I was asked to be a presenter on the show. I was excited, yet nervous.
Years ago, I walked away from Hollywood partially because I didn’t stand up to the bullies. I caved in to the pressure instead of fighting for what I felt was right…and I didn’t have the courage to prove myself to my peers through my work.
After my appearance on the Oscars this year, I read all the jabs. I know what Donald Trump and others said, and I’m not going to deny that I had fat injections in my face. They seemed far less invasive than a face-lift. It was done in 2012 for the TCM interview special. In my opinion, a person has a right to look as good as they can, and I feel better when I look better.
When I was honored at the Cannes Film Festival last year, I received an overwhelming standing ovation. Yet, in Hollywood, after the Oscars, I was bullied by the press and the public on the Internet and TV. The only difference that night was that I had taken a pill to relax—that I shouldn’t have taken. I had been fasting for three days and it affected my behavior. I regret taking it.
However, I will no longer hold myself back from speaking out against bullies. We can’t let people get away with affecting our lives. We need to stand up to them in a healthy way by speaking out, working out and acting out. I am speaking out now because I don’t want to harbor unhealthy feelings inside me anymore.
One of the reasons I enjoy exercising and painting so much is that I can let out my frustrations and reactions to what’s happening in the world around me by working it out in a healthy way. It helps me, and doesn’t hurt anything or anybody. People need to get these things out of their systems and stand up to bullying. I believe there would be less suffering and violence, too!
I ordinarily don't offer opinion here on this blog, but IMHO the way Hollywood and society generally treated this 81 year old woman - who has more than proved herself to her peers through decades of fine work - was disgraceful. I applaud her for speaking out.
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