Badass actress Rose McGowan has been around since the early '90s starring in what are now cult indie faves like The Doom Generation, and later, Jawbreaker.  Since then, she's dated gender-bending shock-rocker Marilyn Manson, starred in several more excellent indie movies and generally proven her worth as an alt hero. Most recently, she swapped behind the camera to direct provocative short film Dawn, which looks at expectations of women in the 1950s. She's a thoughful soul with a way with words and we're proud to count her amongst her allies.

10. On her short film, Dawn.

"Dawn is a cautionary tale. We hurt girls with casual negligence. We change the course of lives with a stereotypical view shared thoughtlessly. We shape the minds of the innocent. Let's think different and be better."

9. On gay men not caring enough about feminism

"Lesbians are women too."

8. On her right to bare all... on her own terms.

"I've had people on Twitter ask 'How can you bring up sexism if you wore this?' Because I fucking can. If I wanna wear nothing it's my goddamned choice."

7. On gender identity

"I grew up without actually registering that I was a girl or a boy."

6. On people who piss her off 

"I have a good trick I use for people I really hate. I have a paper shredder and if I have pictures or letters from someone I hate, I put them through the shredder. Shredders cost about twenty bucks and they're worth the investment. There's a weird release I get putting them through the shredder, much more than just ripping their picture up. Try it."

5. On that audition which called for "cleavage" and a "push-up bra". 

“I just got fired by my wussy acting agent because I spoke up about the bullshit in Hollywood. Hahaha. #douchebags #awesome #BRINGIT.”

4. On female representation behind the cameras.

“Put female writers and directors on the TOP of your lists. Do it every time.”

3. On being partly raised by drag queens.

"At 13, when I was a runaway, I was taken in by the most amazing drag queens in Portland, Ore. We didn't always know where our next meal was coming from, but there was so much camaraderie and love. Not to mention, those girls could paint a face, and I learned how because of them." The pic shows Ms McGowan as a judge on Ru Paul's Drag Race. Epic.

2. On her female role models.

"My sisters, my girlfriends, strong women of the cinema who've paved the way, my agent Tracey Jacobs, and all of my favorite heroines - fiction and non-fiction - who've given me the strength to deal with another day. This sounds like an fucking awards show speech. Bette Midler is going to show up and sing Wind Beneath My Wings in a second."

1. On fighting sexism in Hollywood.

"I'm assembling an army."