What does female stardom mean after Weinstein? The case of Catherine Deneuve and Ashley Judd after the #MeToo movement

Following the widespread allegations of sexual abuse against producer Harvey Weinstein, women in the film industry were compelled to take a stand. As debate surrounding the #MeToo movement intensified, media attention increasingly focused on the experiences and perspectives of prominent actresses. This article examines two contrasting responses to #MeToo through the cases of Catherine Deneuve and Ashley Judd, focusing on Deneuve’s endorsement of the French open letter widely regarded as an anti-#MeToo manifesto, and Judd’s public testimony about Weinstein’s sexual misconduct. Considering their respective filmographies, the article argues that the involvement of both actresses in the #MeToo debate reaffirmed key features of their star personas while simultaneously reactivating their media visibility. Situating this analysis within broader discussions on the sexualisation embedded in female acting throughout film history, the article proposes that #MeToo has challenged long-standing assumptions about sexuality, agency, and victimhood, precipitating a crisis in the definition of female stardom. By examining the attitudes of Catherine Deneuve and Ashley Judd as contrasting stances within the victim/survivor paradigm, the article exposes how #MeToo has reconfigured the cultural meanings of female stardom.