Kim Novak speaks out about Oscar bullies

Actress Kim Novak was ridiculed after her appearance on the Oscars, broadcast March 2. Twitter was especially fierce, with snarky remarks quickly erupting.

It was rude.

Now, some six weeks later, Novak, 81, is speaking out. She told AP in a Thursday phone interview that "for days (after the Oscars) I didn't leave the house. ... It really did throw me into a tailspin and it hit me hard."

And she has written an open letter on Facebook addressing "the elephant in the room — the Oscars."

The actress recalls how "very excited" she was to be a presenter on the show. But she was nervous.

"Years ago, I walked away from Hollywood partially because I didn't stand up to the bullies. I caved in to the pressure instead of fighting for what I felt was right…and I didn't have the courage to prove myself to my peers through my work," she writes.

"After my appearance on the Oscars this year, I read all the jabs. I know what Donald Trump and others said, and I'm not going to deny that I had fat injections in my face. They seemed far less invasive than a face-lift. It was done in 2012 for the TCM interview special. In my opinion, a person has a right to look as good as they can, and I feel better when I look better."

Trump tweeted during the Oscars that Novak should "sue her plastic surgeon."

She goes on to say in her Facebook letter, "I was bullied by the press and the public on the Internet and TV. The only difference that night was that I had taken a pill to relax— that I shouldn't have taken. I had been fasting for three days and it affected my behavior. I regret taking it.

"However, I will no longer hold myself back from speaking out against bullies. We can't let people get away with affecting our lives. We need to stand up to them in a healthy way by speaking out, working out and acting out. I am speaking out now because I don't want to harbor unhealthy feelings inside me anymore. ... People need to get these things out of their systems and stand up to bullying. I believe there would be less suffering and violence, too!"