Rose McGowan has hit out at Natalie Portman over her Oscars protest against the all-male Best Director shortlist

McGowan, 46, has slammed Portman's gesture insisting there was nothing "brave" about it and claimed it is actually "deeply offensive" to real campaigners.

In a lengthy Facebook post, the 'Scream' star wrote: "Some thoughts on Natalie Portman and her Oscar 'protest'. The kind of protest that gets rave reviews from the mainstream media for its bravery. Brave? No, not by a long shot. More like an actress acting the part of someone who cares.

"I find Portman's type of activism deeply offensive to those of us who actually do the work. I'm not writing this out of bitterness, I am writing out of disgust."

McGowan pointed out that Portman has virtually no experience of working with female filmmakers during her career.

She wrote: "Natalie, you have worked with two female directors in your very long career - one of them was you. You have a production company that has hired exactly one female director - you.

"There is no law that says you need to hire women, work with women, or support women. By all means, you do you. But I am saying stop pretending you're some kind of champion for anything other than yourself.

"I am singling you out because you are the latest in a long line of actresses who are acting the part of a woman who cares about other women. Actresses who supposedly stand for women, but in reality do not do much at well.

"Of course women in the world will keep buying the perfumes you promote, the movies you make, and think they're buying into who you are. But who are you?"