Nearly three decades have passed since actress Mia Farrow first went public with the allegations naming Woody Allen as the man who sexually abused his seven-year-old adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow. Since the allegations were made public, Allen has gone on to win an Oscar, a BAFTA, a Golden Globe and an honorary Palme d’Or at 2002’s Cannes Film Festival.
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While the allegations have never been proven in court, Hollywood has remained divided in its decision to either ignore the whispers or divorce themselves from the controversial filmmaker. The recent #MeToo movement may have ignited the industry’s woke culture, but not everyone has agreed to follow the popular narrative over the years.
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As the discussion comes to head once again with the new HBO docuseries, ‘Allen v. Farrow’ (pictured) that brings to light Dylan’s claims, here’s a look at how Hollywood has reacted to the filmmaker and the accusations levelled against him over time.
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Michael Caine: The veteran English actor may have won an Oscar for his performance in Allen’s 1986 film, ‘Hannah and Her Sisters’ (which also starred Mia Farrow), but Caine has been vocal about never working with the filmmaker again. In an interview published on March 10, Caine told the Guardian: “I am so stunned. I’m a patron of the NSPCC [National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children] and have very strong views about paedophilia. I can’t come to terms with it, because I loved Woody and had a wonderful time with him. I even introduced him to Mia. I don’t regret working with him, which I did in complete innocence; but I wouldn’t work with him again, no.”
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Alec Baldwin: The actor has worked with Allen on ‘Blue Jasmine’, ‘To Rome With Love’ and ‘What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael’, and has remained an ardent supporter of the filmmaker over the years. On the day the first episode of the documentary aired, Baldwin tweeted: “Who needs courtrooms or rule of law when we have trial by media?” In the past as well, Baldwin has publicly defended Allen on Twitter. “Woody Allen was investigated forensically by two states (NY and CT) and no charges were filed,” Baldwin tweeted. “The renunciation of him and his work, no doubt, has some purpose. But it’s unfair and sad to me. I worked w WA 3 times and it was one of the privileges of my career [sic].”
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Hayley Atwell: Having worked in Allen’s 2007 film, ‘Cassandra’s Dream’, the actress told the Guardian she was filled with regret with her decision. “I haven’t spoken about this before. It was my first film and I didn’t feel directed by him at all. I didn’t have any kind of relationship with him. And that was fine but bizarre. It was a great opportunity, so I did the best I could and left. I didn’t know back then what I know now. Would I work with him now? No. And I stand in solidarity with his daughter and offer an apology to her if my contribution to his work has caused her suffering or made her feel dismissed in any way.”
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Elliot Page: In November 2017, Page wrote a personal Facebook post regretting his decision to work with Allen on ‘To Rome With Love’ in 2012. “I did a Woody Allen movie and it is the biggest regret of my career. I am ashamed I did this. I had yet to find my voice and was not who I am now and felt pressured, because ‘of course you have to say yes to this Woody Allen film.’ Ultimately, however, it is my choice what films I decide to do and I made the wrong choice. I made an awful mistake.”
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Timothée Chalamet: After working with Allen in 2018’s ‘A Rainy Day in New York’, Chalamet was questioned about working on the project but chose to evade the CNN query at first. Finally, the actor chose to put out a statement on Instagram, responding to the backlash he had been receiving online. “I am learning that a good role isn’t the only criteria for accepting a job — that has become much clearer to me in the past few months, having witnessed the birth of a powerful movement intent on ending injustice, inequality and above all, silence. 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].”
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Rachel Brosnahan: Fans may love her from the Amazon series ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’, but Broshnahan’s journey to fame has included the Allen 2016 project, ‘Crisis in Six Scenes’. On an episode of the Hollywood Reporter’s ‘Awards Chatter’ podcast in January 2018, the actress said she regretted appearing in the Amazon Prime Video show for Allen. “Look, I had a great experience working on that project. But I do have to take this opportunity to say that, for me, I have really struggled with the decision to do that project for a long time. Honestly, it’s the decision that I have made in my life that is the most inconsistent with everything I stand for and believe in, both publicly and privately. And while I can’t take it back, it’s important to me, moving forward, to make decisions that better reflect the things that I value and my worldview.”
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Mira Sorvino: The highlight of the actress’ career has been the 1995 film, ‘Mighty Aphrodite’, for which Sorvino even won an Oscar. The actress frequently avoided directly responding to questions about working with Allen in those early years, but in January 2018, Sorvino chose to write an open letter in Huffington Post, addressed to Dylan Farrow where she apologised for turning “a blind eye” to her story. “In December I called your brother Ronan, sharing about the aftermath of my and other women’s coming forward about Harvey Weinstein. ... I told him I wanted to learn more about you and your situation. He pointed me toward publicly available details of the case I had ruefully never known of, which made me begin to feel the evidence strongly supported your story. That you have been telling the truth all along. I am so sorry, Dylan! I cannot begin to imagine how you have felt, all these years as you watched someone you called out as having hurt you as a child, a vulnerable little girl in his care, be lauded again and again, including by me and countless others in Hollywood who praised him and ignored you. As a mother and a woman, this breaks my heart for you. I am so, so sorry!”
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Greta Gerwig: The director and writer of ‘Lady Bird’ has had her own association with Allen while working on ‘To Rome With Love’ in 2012. After fumbling up a response to working with Allen on the Globes red carpet, Gerwig later spoke to the New York Times’s Frank Bruni, and voiced regret. “It is something that I take very seriously and have been thinking deeply about, and it has taken me time to gather my thoughts and say what I mean to say. I can only speak for myself and what I’ve come to is this: If I had known then what I know now, I would not have acted in the film. I have not worked for him again, and I will not work for him again. Dylan Farrow’s two different pieces made me realise that I increased another woman’s pain, and I was heartbroken by that realisation. I grew up on his movies, and they have informed me as an artist, and I cannot change that fact now, but I can make different decisions moving forward.”
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Scarlett Johansson: The Marvel star has worked with Allen on three different projects, including ‘Match Point’, ‘Scoop’, and ‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona’. During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Johansson defended Allen in September 2019, saying: “I love Woody. I believe him, and I would work with him any time. I see Woody whenever I can, and I have had a lot of conversations with him about it (the allegations against him). I have been very direct with him, and he’s very direct with me. He maintains his innocence, and I believe him.” She later clarified her statement in another interview with Vanity Fair, saying: “I don’t know — I feel the way I feel about it. It’s my experience. I don’t know any more than any other person knows. I only have a close proximity with Woody… he’s a friend of mine. But I have no other insight other than my relationship with him.”
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Colin Firth: In 2018, shortly after Dylan Farrow’s interview where she spoke about the abuse inflicted on her by Allen, British actor Firth denounced the filmmaker and ever working with him. “I wouldn’t work with him again,” Firth told the Guardian. Firth acted in Allen’s film ‘Magic in the Moonlight’ in 2013.
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Kate Winslet: The ‘Titanic’ star distanced herself from working on Allen’s ‘Wonder Wheel’ in 2017, along with filmmaker Roman Polanski’s ‘Carnage’ in 2011. Speaking to The Observer, she confessed those regrets will stay with her forever. “I shouldn’t have worked with Woody, or Roman, and I’ll probably always grapple with those regrets. It’s just unbelievable to me now that those men have been held in such high regard in this industry, and for such a long time. I defy anyone in the acting community to deny that parts in their movies were heavily coveted. And that’s only just changed.”
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Diane Keaton: Having worked with Allen on a number films including ‘Annie Hall’ (1977) and ‘Manhattan’, Keaton defended the director on Twitter, shortly after Dylan Farrow gave her first interview on the allegations in 2018. “Woody Allen is my friend and I continue to believe him. It might be of interest to take a look at the 60 Minute interview from 1992 and see what you think,” Keaton wrote in January 2018.
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