The Sexual Assault Survivor At the Center Of The Predator Drama Breaks Her Silence

The next chapter of the #MeToo movement has been spearheaded by Olivia Munn, who reported her The Predator co-star Steven Wilder Striegel to Fox Studios after discovering he is a registered sex offender. In 2010, Striegel plead guilty to risk of injury to a child and enticing a minor by computer. His scene was then cut from the film, but the shadow of his participation still lingered as Munn faced an initial lack of support from her male co-stars while doing press. One person who is supporting her, however, is the survivor herself, who came forward to The L.A. Times to identify herself as 24-year-old Paige Carnes and express her gratitude for Munn's actions.

"My purpose in making this statement is to reclaim my identity," Carnes wrote. "I was not able to speak for myself when I was 14. The consequences of this abuse are profound and permanent for some. When the abuse takes place with a child, it is even harder to overcome. You lose trust in everyone around you, and mainly yourself. Your abuse does not define you. With support from others and strength from within, you can overcome the label of victim and reclaim your identity."

Carnes went on to give thanks for the support of her parents before turning to Munn.

"She spoke up for me. She took a stance for me. In turn she stood for all who have suffered like I have," she said. "To be acknowledged by a stranger, on a public platform about this issue is incredibly empowering. The positive feedback from social media towards Olivia Munn is uplifting and feels incredibly supportive for me personally. I have no shame for what was done to me. I am not the one who needs to carry that shame. My name is Paige Carnes, former Jane Doe. I hope anyone who has suffered like I have regains their voice and their humanity."

Munn did not immediately respond to Refinery29's request for comment on Carnes' statement, but this isn't the only message she's received in the past 24 hours. Director Shane Black, who was responsible for Striegel's casting and was aware of his past conviction, spoke publicly to Entertainment Tonight about the controversy, and offered an additional apology to Munn.

"I felt that I owed her that call, that apology and I’m very sorry for any pain that she’s felt, but I reached out privately," he said, later admitting, "If I caused pain, it’s on me. It’s my fault. I made a decision, which was a very bad — look, it’s not about the fact that I was as shocked to discover what’s going on at reading these horrible things in the paper. That’s still on me. I’m the captain to the ship, and I’m not allowed to make choices for people. I’m not allowed to just treat this like we’re kids in college and putting friends in movies because this is big leagues, and I felt like I had let people down and caused pain to the cast and that is not acceptable."

Read Paige Carnes' full statement here.