ACTRESS Ashley Judd, a rape survivor, has revealed that she "tried to find" one of her attackers and ended up "sitting in rocking chairs by a creek" with him several years after the 1999 sexual assault.
In 2019, Judd revealed she is a "three-time rape survivor" whilst advocating for abortion rights – and recalled how one sexual assault led to a pregnancy which she terminated.
Speaking on the Healing with David Kessler podcast, Ashley, 54, said she was determined to find one of her attackers to have a "restorative-justice conversation".
The attacker "surfaced very quickly", allowing the A Time To Kill actress to organise a meeting with him.
"To make a long story short, we ended up in rocking chairs sitting by a creek together.
"And I said, "I'm very interested in hearing the story you've carried all these years". And we had a restorative-justice conversation about that.
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"I wanted to share that story because there are many ways of healing from grief, and it's important to remind listeners that I didn't need anything from him."
The actress stressed that she did not meet her rapist for him to "make amends" or "do anything differently in order for me to have a process that was independent from that previous asymmetry of power".
She added: "It was just gravy that he made his amends and expressed his deep remorse, because healing from grief is an inside job."
Discussing how grief applies to the aftermath of a sexual assault, the podcast host said: "You lose innocence".
Ashley went further, revealing: "One loses safety. I lost a sense of trust".
The Double Jeopardy actress explained that she has had the opportunity to do her trauma work, her grief work and her healing work since the assault.
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Meanwhile, the actress also said that she "knew better" as an "empowered feminist woman" with "boundaries" following her rape.
"I was very clear, my boundaries were intact. I was already an empowered, adult feminist woman."
She added: "And that this could happen under these circumstances was unconscionable, unforeseen, and yet I have had a restorative-justice process with this person out of how replete my soul is today."
In 2018, the activist sued disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein for allegedly "blacklisting" her from Hollywood after she rejected his advances.
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In the new lawsuit, Ashely's lawyer Theodore Boutrous Jr said Weinstein "torpedoed" her opportunity to work on the films by claiming she was a "nightmare" who should be avoided "at all costs".
A spokeswoman for Weinstein refuted the claims of Ashley and Sir Peter and said the shamed producer would launch a "vigorous defence".
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call RAINN (Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network) at 800-656-HOPE (4673).
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