Falsely accused Oscar winner Woody Allen scoffed at our “silly” cancel culture and said nothing has changed in his life.
The 87-year-old genius is in Venice this week with his latest (and 50th) feature film Coup de Chance, a French-language thriller. For some reason, he agreed to sit down with the blacklisters at the far-left Variety. Naturally, the outlet was more interested in reviewing the allegations he was cleared of more than 30 years ago than his historic and consequential career as a writer and director.
Director Woody Allen and wife Soon-Yi Previn are seen on October 27, 2022, in Paris, France. (Marc Piasecki/GC Images)
“When I raise th[e] topic” of the debunked molestation allegation from 30 years ago, the Variety interviewer wrote, “Allen’s tone and demeanor shifts noticeably.”
How bizarre!
“He’s jovial and talkative when discussing his film and his love for French cinema classics,” she continues, but his “mood suddenly turned gloomy … as I asked him to comment on Farrow, as well as the impact that her claims has had on his reputation[.]”
You’ve been accused of molesting your own daught— Hey, why did your mood just change?
“By the end of our interview,” this nit of a wit explains, “Allen became pensive, gazing off into space.”
When asked if he was still an advocate of the #MeToo movement, Allen said:
I think any movement where there’s actual benefit, where it does something positive, let’s say for women, is a good thing. When it becomes silly, it’s silly. I read instances where it’s very beneficial, where the situation has been very beneficial for women, and that’s good. When I read of some instances in a story in the paper where it’s silly, then it’s foolish.
He explained that by silly, he meant, “When it’s being too extreme in trying to make it into an issue when, in fact, most people would not regard it as any kind of offensive situation.”
Director Woody Allen and actress Naomi Watts attend the “You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger” press conference at the Palais des Festivals during the 63rd Annual Cannes Film Festival on May 15, 2010, in Cannes, France. (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
Allen then went on to explain accurately that throughout his 50 movies, no one has ever complained about his behavior:
I’ve made 50 films. I’ve always had very good parts for women, always had women in the crew, always paid them the exact same amount that we paid men, worked with hundreds of actresses, and never, ever had a single complaint from any of them at any point. Not a single one ever said, ‘Working with him, he was mean or he was harassing.’ That’s just not been an issue. My editors have been women. I don’t have any problem with that. It’s never been on my mind in any way. I hire who I think is good for the role. As I said, I’ve worked with hundreds of actresses, unknown actresses, stars, mid-level actresses. Not one has ever complained and there’s nothing to complain about.
Allen also accurately defended himself against the phony and disgraceful molestation allegation:
“My reaction has always been the same,” he said. “The situation has been investigated by … two major investigative bodies. And both, after long detailed investigations, concluded there was no merit to these charges[.]”
Allen never even faced a grand jury. After months of detailed investigation by two separate states, it was found that there was no substance to the allegation, but there was plenty of mitigating evidence.
When asked about being canceled, Allen said, “I feel if you’re going to be canceled, this is the culture to be canceled by.”
Kate Winslet, Woody Allen, and Juno Temple attend the “Wonder Wheel” screening at Museum of Modern Art on November 14, 2017, in New York City. (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
He added that his life hasn’t changed. He still makes his movies. What has changed is the distribution business and how movies are exhibited. He’s not a fan of streaming or raising money. As he closes in on 90(!), he says he has plenty of energy to make films but not enough to run through the tedious process of financing them, so Coup de Chance might be his last.
Allen has had one helluva run.
Four masterpieces:
- Manhattan (1979)
- Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)
- Another Woman (1988)
- Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
Eight classics:
- Love and Death (1975)
- Annie Hall (1977)
- Broadway Danny Rose (1984)
- Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)
- Radio Days (1987)
- Husbands and Wives (1992)
- Sweet and Lowdown (1999)
- Match Point (2005)
The rest of his movies, with a few exceptions, run from great to good. Woody Allen is our greatest living director, and I hope he lives forever. I also hope he really is as blasé about this McCarthyism as he puts across in interviews, that he does take comfort in his wife, children, and the fact he’s innocent.
Hopefully, the left-wing fascists will allow Americans to see Coup de Chance, which is earning positive reviews in Venice.
Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC. Follow his Facebook Page here.