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Actress Olivia Munn has disclosed a significant stand she took against a major studio, revealing she turned down a seven-figure settlement offered to silence her about traumatic experiences on a movie set. The 44-year-old actress shared her story during a candid conversation on Monica Lewinsky's "Reclaiming" podcast, aired February 18, 2025.
During the interview, she described filing formal complaints with the studio over deeply troubling incidents that occurred during production. While she chose not to specify the film, the timing coincided with the emergence of the #MeToo movement and the Harvey Weinstein revelations that transformed Hollywood's power dynamics.
"I had to file complaints with the studio, and there's a lot of other little things that go along with it," Munn told Lewinsky. The studio's response was to offer substantial compensation - seven figures - coupled with a non-disclosure agreement (NDA). Despite the significant sum, Munn stood firm in her refusal.
The actress recounted a particularly telling moment during negotiations when studio lawyers emphasized the settlement amount in what she described as a "disrespectful" tone. Her response was unequivocal: "I know this is a lot of money to you, but it is not a lot of money to me to lose my voice."
Her decision came during a pivotal period in Hollywood when NDAs were facing intense scrutiny. She expressed concern that signing such an agreement could have undermined her credibility, noting that during that time, "people were targeting anyone who signed an NDA saying, 'Oh, you only did it for the money.'"
The decision to reject the settlement wasn't calculated strategy but rather an immediate reaction to what she perceived as profound disrespect. "I did not think about negotiating. I did not think about anything besides how disrespectful that was," she explained, acknowledging that her quick decision stemmed from what she calls "the feistiness of not thinking things through."
Shortly after this incident, such NDAs became illegal in the industry. Reflecting on her choice, Munn expressed pride in her stance while acknowledging the emotional nature of her decision-making: "It's not that I wouldn't have ended up with the same decision, it's that I made that decision based on anger, and that is something I had to learn how to rein in and use for my benefit."
