SPEAKING TO LOCAL radio in Tucson, Arizona, Heather Ross shared the story of how her dear friend Carrie Fisher reacted to the news that Ross had been sexually harassed by a producer.
Ross told Mix FM that she had arranged to meet an Oscar-winning producer to discuss her work. As it was work related, Heather said “There was nothing sexual on the line at all.”
“He was like, ‘Would you like to meet up and have lunch or dinner and talk about getting you involved in the project?’”, so Heather agreed, expecting the dinner to be strictly relating to work.
So when I met with this guy, it happened so quickly. I was ashamed of myself. I thought I had done something wrong. I thought meeting up with him, having lunch or dinner with him, that I was asking for it. I stayed quiet for years. I didn’t want the retribution. I was just some kid from Tucson and this guy was a high profile Oscar-winning producer.
Heather told the radio station that they didn’t even make it to the restaurant. The producer pulled the car over, pulled the lever on the car seat to recline her and attempted to sexually assault her.
It all happened so fast that Heather actually questioned if it was really happening. She managed to free herself and the producer told her “You’ll never make a movie in my town, get the f**k out of my car.” She proceeded to run away, to call her mother and friends.
Like most people who find themselves in that kind of situation, Heather was terrified about the consequences of reporting what had happened to her. However, she eventually confided in Carrie Fisher about the assault, as Fisher was “like a mother figure” to Heather and many others.
When I told her about this, I sent her a message, I was like “You’re never going to believe what happened.” She was very protective of me, and more scared for my safety than anything.
About two weeks later, she sent me a message online and she was like “I just saw ‘blank’ at Sony Studios, I knew he would probably be there, so I went to his office and personally delivered a Tiffany’s box wrapped with a white bow.”
Heather nervously asked what was inside. Fisher told her:
It was a cow’s tongue from Jerry’s famous deli in Westwood with a note that said “If you ever touch my darling Heather or any other woman again, the next delivery will be something of yours in a much smaller box.
Carrie told Heather that she wished she could have recorded the look on his face, because he first came out of his office and was like “Carrie! To what do I owe the pleasure?”, to which Fisher replied “Oh, I just wanted to bring you a little gift.”
Once he read the note and Fisher’s point was made, she walked away. Heather told Mix FM that Carrie was always willing to stand up for people. “That’s what Carrie Fisher was.”
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