The American filmmaker says he is a big advocate of the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment and believes he should be the “poster boy” for the movement as actresses haven’t accused him of any wrongdoings.
In the wake and growth of the #MeToo movement, director Woody Allen has recently claimed in an interview with Argentinean news outlet Periodismo Para Todos, that he should be the “poster boy” for the women’s movement against sexual harassment.
This, despite the fact, that he has been accused of sexually abusing his estranged daughter, Dylan Farrow many years ago and has skirted the issue with ease.
According to the filmmaker, he’s a big advocate of the #MeToo movement and feels that when people who harass innocent women and men are found out, it is a good thing that they are being exposed. He continued, “But you know, I should be the poster boy for the #MeToo movement, because I have worked in movies for 50 years. I’ve worked with hundreds of actresses, hundreds, and not a single one – big ones, famous ones, ones starting out – have ever, ever, not a single one, ever suggested any kind of impropriety at all.”
Though, Allen has repeatedly denied the allegations put forward by his step-daughter that he sexually abused her as a child, it bothers him to be compared to men like Harvey Weinstein. “People who have been accused by 20 women, 50 women, 100 women of abuse and abuse and abuse – and I, who was only accused by one woman in a child-custody case which was looked at and proven to be untrue, I get lumped in with these people,” Allen said.
Moreover, Woody Allen addressed Farrow’s allegations and the recent backlash he is facing and shared, “This is something that had been thoroughly looked at 25 years ago by all the authorities and everybody came to the conclusion that it was untrue.” He added, “And that was the end and I’ve gone on with my life. For it to come back now, it’s a terrible thing to accuse a person of. I’m a man with a family and my own children. So of course it’s upsetting.”
The director further went on to say that in any situation where anyone is accused of something unjustly, is a sad thing.
“I think everybody would agree with that. Everyone wants justice to be done,” he stated. “If there is something like the #MeToo movement now, you root for them, you want them to bring to justice these terrible harassers, these people that do all these terrible things. And I think that’s a good thing.”
Allen also noted that he has created “wonderful roles” for women, has hired numerous women to work behind the scenes on his films, and has always paid his female stars equally. “So I’m very much on their side and in their corner and feel part of that,” he said.
Of course, he forgot to add that during the times he was accused and the times we live in now have changed drastically. Even Cate Blanchett, a big believer in the legal system told The Guardian recently: “If these allegations need to be re-examined which, in my understanding, they’ve been through court, then I’m a big believer in the justice system and setting legal precedents. If the case needs to be reopened, I am absolutely, wholeheartedly in support of that.”
As for consequences, younger actors such as Timothee Chalamet, who is starring in Allen’s upcoming film, A Rainy Day in New York, took to Instagram and stated this year: “I have been asked in a few recent interviews about my decision to work on a film with Woody Allen last summer. I’m not able to answer the question directly because of contractual obligations. But what I can say is this: I don’t want to profit from my work on the film, and to that end, I am going to donate my entire salary to three charities: Time’s Up, the LGBT Centre in New York, and Rainn [the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network]. I want to be worthy of standing shoulder to shoulder with the brave artists who are fighting for all the people to be treated with the respect and dignity they deserve.”
Point, Chalamet.
– With information from Deadline and Variety
