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Anne Heche claims she was “patient zero in cancel culture”.
The 52-year-old actress insisted she was “blacklisted” by Hollywood after going public with her romance with Ellen DeGeneres in 1997 and as a result she feels she was the first person to lose her career as a result of her public statements.
She told the New York Post newspaper’s Page Six column: “This wasn’t a long-term love affair. This was a moment in my life when I was given the glory of being able to stand up for what I believe in and have since I was a kid.”
Anne previously admitted she was advised not to take Ellen – who she split from in 2000 – to the premiere of her movie ‘Volcano’, and she’s reflected on the tough repercussions of her decision to defy the advice for the sake of “living in loving-kindness”.
She claimed: “I didn’t do a studio picture for 10 years. I was fired from a $10 million picture deal and did not see the light of day in a studio picture.”
The ’13 minutes’ actress – who has son Homer, 19, with ex-husband Coleman Laffoon and Atlas, 12, with former partner James Tupper – hailed Harrison Ford her “hero” for standing by her when it seemed her proposed role ‘Six Day, Seven Nights’ was about to be axed as a result of her relationship with Ellen.
Recalling how the 79-year-old star called her at home one morning, she remembered: “He said, ‘Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn who you’re sleeping with. We have a romantic comedy to make. Let’s make it the best one that’s ever happened.’
“That is why Harrison Ford is my hero. To stand behind me at such a time when the force of what I was standing up for could have been toppled.”
But despite claiming her relationship derailed her career, Anne is “proud” she helped to instigate change.
She said: “Those repercussions that happened, are to me what has created a part of the change. I’m a part of it. It is a badge of honor.”
