Why Gabrielle Union 'Cried A Lot' During Book Tour

The 45-year-old actress, who is a rape survivor, told Redbook the tour stops turned into very emotional experiences for both her and her fans as women disclosed their own sexual assault experiences to her.

"On my book tour, a lot of cities felt like a revival -- there were so many disclosures of abuse during the Q&A portion of talks and during the book signing; even as I was driving away people were flagging down my car in tears," Union told Redbook. "I didn't realize how big the need was for so many people to just get it out, to have someone look them in the eye and say, 'I believe you.'"

"I cried a lot," she added.

Union said she had many Skype sessions with her therapist because those open conversations were triggering her PTSD from getting raped at gunpoint in the backroom of a Payless shoe store 25 years ago. According to the actress, she felt like she had "a responsibility to offer that sense of safety and support" because her fans might not have the same means to help themselves at the end of the day.

Union first discussed her own experience with sexual assault in a 2016 essay for The Los Angeles Times after her "Birth of a Nation" director and co-star, Nate Parker, faced scrutiny for a 1999 rape charge he was acquitted from during a trial in his college years.

"As important and ground-breaking as this film is, I cannot take these allegations lightly," Union wrote. "Since Nate Park'er story was revealed to me, I have found myself in a state of stomach-churning confusion. I took this role because I related to the experience... I knew I could walk out of our movie and speak to the audience about what it feels like to be a survivor."