Ashley Judd was one of the first women to come forward to accuse Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment, emboldening others to speak out in the wake of The New York Times industry-shattering exposé.

The actress continues to share her experiences of abuse and gender inequality in the industry, and joined a panel at the Sundance Film Festival over the weekend which addressed the solutions needed to end issues of disparity and diversity in Hollywood permanently.

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Speaking at the 'Univision Communications Behind the Camera: Where Diversity Begins' panel, alongside diverse filmmakers and key Hollywood figures, the star recounted the sexual discrimination she endured during her first ever screen test.

'Well first of all, my first audition yielded a screen test and I was asked to take my shirt off,' Judd revealed. 'It was between another woman and me, and I said that isn't about our acting, that's about evaluating a pair of breasts.

'And the answer was not "no" but "hell no".'

Judd's new film Monster - which premiered at Sundance - addresses themes of sexual assault, which she says strongly resonated with her.

'I understand it was never my shame and it was the perpetrators shamelessness which he put on me — and I've given that shame back to the perpetrator where it belongs,' Judd reflected.

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Last year, a spokesperson for Weinstein released the statement: 'Any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr. Weinstein.

'Mr. Weinstein has further confirmed that there were never any acts of retaliation against any women for refusing his advances.'

On how speaking out about abuse and assault within the industry may have impeded her career, Judd reiterated: 'I have to know the hill on which I'm willing to die.

'And the hill on which I'm willing to die is equality, and if that means going to jail, being maligned, being defamed, having tremendous economic loss because I stood up to Harvey Weinstein- and it's incalculable the amount of money I could have made that I didn't - that's the hill on which I'm willing to die.'

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Naomi Gordon

Naomi Gordon is news writer mainly covering entertainment news with a focus on celebrity interviews and television.