Carrie Fisher found out a friend had been sexually assaulted, and she did not take it lightly

This past week has seen Hollywood rocked by the finally-out-in-the-open Harvey Weinstein scandal, a scandal marked by years of secrecy and cover-ups. But tales of sexual abuse are nothing new, and this most recent story has inspired millions of brave women and men to take to social media in order to share their own stories of sexual assault and harassment with the hashtag #MeToo.

Sadly, there seems to be one common theme in many of these stories—people knew, people saw, but no one spoke up. Whether talking about Hollywood or middle America, it’s often the silence of our friends, family and peers that can be the most devastating.

Well, Hollywood legend Carrie Fisher had never been one to keep silent, especially when it comes to protecting her friends. In a recent interview with a local Tuscon, Arizona, radio station, a friend of Carrie Fisher’s came on the air and talked about how she says Fisher defended her when a Hollywood producer made inappropriate advances toward her.

Fisher’s pal, Heather Ross, revealed how Fisher was very upset when she learned about how the producer tried to manipulate Ross into a sexual relationship. Never one to be quiet in the face of injustice, Fisher decided to teach the man an important lesson—by delivering the predator a package he would never forget. Ross says:

“It was a cow tongue from Jerry’s Famous Deli with a note that said, ‘If you ever touch my darling Heather or any other woman again, the next delivery will be something of yours in a much smaller box.’”

Wow. And yes, Fisher delivered the package herself. Talk about chutzpah!

Ross said fondly, “That’s just how she was…She stood up for people…She put things out there and in your face.”

What an awesome and inspiring story. Defending her friend against an Oscar-winning producer was a risk to both Fisher’s career and reputation. But she put her friends’ safety and well-being over movie roles because it was the right thing to do. In this way, she did her part to protect women and fellow actors from being harassed by sexual predators.

We could all learn from Fisher’s bravery and fearlessness. Here’s to speaking out against sexual harassment, even when it’s hard. As Fisher proves, our voices matter.

[h/t: Mashable]