Debra Winger says #MeToo movement has 'gone ridiculously too far'

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Debra Winger is speaking out about Hollywood after notoriously announcing her departure from the industry years ago.

The 66-year-old actress is known for her Oscar-nominated performances in movies like "Terms of Endearment," "An Officer and a Gentleman," and "Shadowlands." She announced her departure from the industry in the early '90s but has since made a return to take on a few roles here and there.

Her latest is playing a mother in the new Apple TV+ comedy-drama "Mr. Corman." It premiered on Aug. 6. While Winger has several on-set experiences of her own to choose from, the acttress weighed in on the #MeToo movement when discussing how her three sons have all landed careers in the industry as well.

"I don't feel like it's settled yet," Winger said in an interview with the U.K.'s Telegraph, adding that she believes Hollywood is "still in upheaval."

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"The plates are shifting," she shared. "In some ways, it's pulled ridiculously too far. Part of it is that I'm the mother of three young white males, so I'm looking at things that they're experiencing, and things that my girlfriends of all different backgrounds are experiencing [and] it hasn't quite found its steady point yet where there's room for everybody."

Actress Debra Winger attends the 42nd Annual Kennedy Center Honors at Kennedy Center Hall of States on December 08, 2019 in Washington, DC.  (Paul Morigi/Getty Images)

Winger then confessed that she feels she's a "bad one to ask" about the topic.

She said she had no choice but to have a thick skin early on in her career, when she first found herself experiencing some "abusive situations."

"I always found my way. Is that privilege? It didn't feel like it at the time, because I felt like I was in very abusive situations, but it was my responsibility to buck up, get strong," she continued.

The Oscar-nominated actress shared an example of some not-so-pleasant moments on set. One occurred during her time filming "An Officer and a Gentleman" in which she was given water retention pills to assist her in losing weight. At the time, she was told she appeared "puffy in the dailies."

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Winger said she refused.

"I was so young I didn't even know what it was, and I just handed it back and said ‘I’m not taking that,'" she recalled. "It just sounded so ridiculous to me. But somebody else could have really succumbed."

As for where she learned to have the courage to stand up for herself, Winger confirmed it was not a trait she learned from her mother.

"I didn't have great men around me, growing up. I just felt strong to say no to these f---ing a--holes."

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Winger would further prove her independence and no-nonsense attitude in the entertainment biz when she went on to leave the cast of "A League of Their Own." The Telegraph notes that Winger exited after director Penny Marshall cast Madonna and communicated that she had no interest in being a part of "an Elvis film."

Winger's instincts were accepted by the studio. She said she was able to collect her pay despite not appearing in the film after all. It's a move she said is "very hard to get in a court."

Ultimately, Winger concluded that her famous exit from the acting industry in the '90s after receiving her third Oscar nomination came because she "ceased being challenged."

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As for how she's advised her three boys in their own careers, Winger admitted she instructed them to not go into  showbusiness.

"And yes, they are all in it!" she said, adding they received a "proper education" first and it wasn't on her dime.