Soap Vet Speaks Out On Sexual Harassment: It Happened To Me, Too!

Longtime soap actress Arianne Zucker became a household name last fall when The Washington Post released a tape of now-President Donald Trump making lewd comments to Billy Bush as the Access Hollywood bus pulled up to the Days of Our Lives set to meet Zucker.

The actress was there so Trump could make a DAYS cameo, and while the topic of the tape has come up again in recent days as reports spread that the president denies its authenticity, Zucker had a lot to say on the subject of Hollywood and sexual harassment in general last night as she spoke with CNN’s Anderson Cooper.

Zucker, who left DAYS earlier this year but is working on the Amazon streaming soap, Ladies of the Lake, spoke of how women are treated in Hollywood, as well as ways we can help prevent what seems to be an epidemic of powerful men being exposed as sexual harasser and abusers in the past six weeks.

“As people, as citizens, it’s our right to come together, and find a way–if he’s not going to do it–we need to act on it and find a way to bring disrespect forward.”

She also touched on her own experiences with Hollywood sexual harassment, as well as experiences of those she knows. And some of it comes from a mom of daughters perspective.

“[We need to] make sure that women are in a position where they’re equal. I don’t need to be in a place of power,” Zucker told Cooper. “I just want to be equal and I just want to make sure that my daughter has a chance and doesn’t have to go through any of these harassment issues that so many women have gone through.

“What’s so sad to me is that almost every woman I know has been harassed in some way, shape, or form–including myself–and that shouldn’t be an issue to have that problem in this day and age.”

Zucker explained why she did this interview and hopes that together, the nation can start making a change.

“I thought what am I going to do? What am I going to say? How am I going to help? Well, I hope I can help just by being a voice and saying let’s do something. Let’s start today.

“Let’s start making sure that we can respect each other and communicating with each other and trusting each other a little bit more because we are in such a difficult time right now.”

You can watch her entire interview below.