Media acknowledges self defense in celebrity rape.
http://entertainment.msn.com/news/article.aspx?news=129777&artp=ah
Gabrielle Union's Survival Story
Gabrielle Union co-stars with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in "Bad Boys II," which has already grossed over $91 million at the box office. But before she hit Hollywood, Gabrielle lived a story movies are made of -- a story of fear, of tragedy, and ultimately, one of survival.
"Back in 1992 you had something very horrible happen," said Access Hollywood's Shaun Robinson. "Yeah. During a robbery at a store where I worked at my summer job, I was raped and beaten and actually had a real gunfight for my life. Fortunately, I survived and the man was convicted and is in prison now," Gabrielle revealed.
Gabrielle was just 19 years old when she fought back and shot at her attacker. Now 29, Union talked openly about the terrifying experience that changed her life forever. "From that experience and therapy and a lot of family and friend support, I came out stronger and wiser," she said.
Gabrielle's attacker was sentenced to 33 years in a California prison. Now 10 years later, Union has gone on with her life, counting herself as a "survivor" not a "victim."
"Do you think that made you tougher just all around in how you handle people and situations?" asked Shaun. "Oh yes, definitely how I handle people. I respect people's space and how I handle weapons. When one is pointed at you it's not entertainment."
Union plays a tough DEA agent in "Bad Boys II," surrounded by an abundance of action and violence -- action which Gabrielle defends was necessary for the storyline. "What we show in the movie is an ounce of what really goes on. If people say, 'Oh my gosh, you're glorifying violence,' well, that was my experience, that is what really happens."
That is not to say Gabrielle has forgotten the past. "There's a scene at the end of the car chase where my hand is shaking, and thinking back to that night when I fired that weapon at that man I couldn't stop shaking," she remembered. "It doesn't take a lot of, 'Oh let me recall this or that.' It just becomes very real."
http://entertainment.msn.com/news/article.aspx?news=129777&artp=ah
Gabrielle Union's Survival Story
Gabrielle Union co-stars with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in "Bad Boys II," which has already grossed over $91 million at the box office. But before she hit Hollywood, Gabrielle lived a story movies are made of -- a story of fear, of tragedy, and ultimately, one of survival.
"Back in 1992 you had something very horrible happen," said Access Hollywood's Shaun Robinson. "Yeah. During a robbery at a store where I worked at my summer job, I was raped and beaten and actually had a real gunfight for my life. Fortunately, I survived and the man was convicted and is in prison now," Gabrielle revealed.
Gabrielle was just 19 years old when she fought back and shot at her attacker. Now 29, Union talked openly about the terrifying experience that changed her life forever. "From that experience and therapy and a lot of family and friend support, I came out stronger and wiser," she said.
Gabrielle's attacker was sentenced to 33 years in a California prison. Now 10 years later, Union has gone on with her life, counting herself as a "survivor" not a "victim."
"Do you think that made you tougher just all around in how you handle people and situations?" asked Shaun. "Oh yes, definitely how I handle people. I respect people's space and how I handle weapons. When one is pointed at you it's not entertainment."
Union plays a tough DEA agent in "Bad Boys II," surrounded by an abundance of action and violence -- action which Gabrielle defends was necessary for the storyline. "What we show in the movie is an ounce of what really goes on. If people say, 'Oh my gosh, you're glorifying violence,' well, that was my experience, that is what really happens."
That is not to say Gabrielle has forgotten the past. "There's a scene at the end of the car chase where my hand is shaking, and thinking back to that night when I fired that weapon at that man I couldn't stop shaking," she remembered. "It doesn't take a lot of, 'Oh let me recall this or that.' It just becomes very real."
Rock on.
