For a while there, Dylan Farrow only really called out the actresses who worked with Woody Allen. In the past few months, Dylan has been questioning why the actors work with Woody so much too, but that still doesn’t mean that actors have actually been questioned by the media about their choice to work with Woody. It feels like… I don’t know, maybe 90-95% of the time, it’s just about the actresses. Justin Timberlake still hasn’t gotten any questions about Woody. I would be shocked if Joaquin Phoenix had gotten any questions, or Tom Hiddleston or Owen Wilson or Jesse Eisenberg. I would be absolutely shocked if Colin Firth – who worked on Woody Allen’s 2013 film, Magic in the Moonlight, with Emma Stone – had ever been seriously questioned about Woody Allen in any kind of interview. But on the same day that Dylan Farrow’s interview aired on CBS’s This Morning, Firth issued a one-sentence denunciation. I guess we can call it that?
Colin Firth is the latest actor to publicly rebuke Woody Allen, telling the Guardian he won’t do any projects with the director in the future.
“I wouldn’t work with him again,” Firth said in response to the Guardian’s inquiry on Thursday, the same day Dylan Farrow gave her first televised interview accusing her adopted father of sexually assaulting her when she was seven years old.
Firth acted in Allen’s film Magic in the Moonlight in 2013, before Farrow published an open letter the following year alleging that her father molested her in an attic and accusing Hollywood of turning a “blind eye”. Allen denied the accusation as “untrue and disgraceful” at the time and again rebutted the claims this week, accusing the Farrow family of “cynically using the opportunity afforded by the Time’s Up movement to repeat this discredited allegation”.
That’s literally it. I was waiting to see if Firth expounded on this thought with a larger, multi-sentence statement, perhaps. He did not. He did not apologize, he did not announce a donation to a charity, none of that. Firth just won’t work with Woody again. Okay.
Also: my guess is that Firth is still feeling a bit wounded – professionally, and possibly personally – over Harvey Weinstein. Weinstein nurtured Firth’s career for decades and Firth released a statement about Weinstein too, only that one had a bit more feeling.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I love Colin and I am fine with his one sentence.
People who worked with Woody years ago and before Dylan’s heartbreaking article, can be forgiven in my opinion. They might have heard rumours but wasn’t sure.
And yes, Colin must be devastated about Harvey. Colin didn’t excuse him and instead condemned him so I haven’t blacklisted Colin.
“People who worked with Woody years ago and before Dylan’s heartbreaking article, can be forgiven in my opinion.”
That makes no sense. If the letter changed things then should they not have renounced (or donated residuals or whatever) when it came out?
It changed nothing and it was still in industry circles characterized as a “family dispute” to any who asked. This movement is changing perspectives and forcing people to look closer, that’s a good thing but people need to stop treating this like the grand finale. It’s fine if the cast of the movie not out yet wants to donate salaries but that’s very little money. The money is in the residuals all those who have worked with him in the past are still making. And shouldn’t Brad Pitt and Quentin Tarantino be donating their residuals from Inglouious Basterds? There’s no end to that rabbit hole.
Be done with it, do better in the future. That’s all I need to see from any of them.
“Be done with it, do better in the future. That’s all I need to see from any of them.”
I agree.
“Be done with it, do better in the future. That’s all I need to see from any of them.”
Co-sign.
Most of the people speaking out against Allen now are doing it because they’re being asked a straight question about it. Colin Firth didn’t suddenly sent a press release and many others haven’t either, they are just being asked. I agree with you in the cases where they’ve felt the need to let us now they are donating their salaries or whatever.
Er all of QT’s films were produced by Weinstein. So why is Inglorious Basterds being singled out? I find it SO GROSS that the most honest person was also the biggest asshole–QT.
If he says more than that, it will get picked apart. What he said is fine. And he ages like a fine wine.
I agree. This was a Guardian inquiry and not a statement on social media and he concisely answered their question, not leaving much room for interpretation.
I think only a few of the actors that have worked with Woody Allen feel any real remorse about It (Colin probably is not one of those) but this helps bring Woody down as I don’t see how other actors can work with him again after Dylan’s interview and all the backlash. Hopefully he’s really done.
I feel the same way. If I’m being completely honest, I don’t need genuine remorse, I just want him to be a marked man. I want everyone who works with him in the future to be asked why.
It’s so messed up how people overlooked the situation with Soon-Yi, that alone is bad enough, even if they can pretend they didn’t know about Dylan. Firth was doing yellowface in that movie too, but people will forgive men everything. (and that’s not a dig at Dylan, she can deal with her trauma however she wants to and focus on whoever she wants to, she’s the victim, it’s more about the public and HW)
The Soon Yi situation is dicey in how Woody seduced his girlfriend’s daughter and how that girlfriend denounced her daughter instead of Woody for it.
Mia called Soon Yi a whore and a slut and was more outraged by their relationship than the circumstances of said relationship and the fact Woody had preyed on her daughter. She called the pictures disgusting rather than the fact that her Woody had taken pictures of her young daughter. Her anger to Soon Yi was so, SO misplaced and misdirected, it boggles the mind.
Yeah, to this day Soon Yi still isn’t considered like a victim by the majority. She was failed by everybody around her. I hope she’ll be able to heal when Allen dies (hopefully sooner than later) I get sick when I think about the two girls they have adopted.
That’s sad.
Someone on here the other day made an excellent point about Soon-Yi being adopted and how that may have left a psychological impact on her.
Kids who are adopted or fostered often have attachment disorders which can profoundly impact the way they connect with other people. There are different types of attachment disorders – some kids are very withdrawn and won’t bond with anyone, and others are superficially charming and bonding inappropriately with everyone. (There is s child with an attachment disorder in my extended family).
Of course, I don’t know if Soon-Yi has any kind of attachment difficulties, but if she does, then Allen’s behaviour is even more reprehensible.
@emma33 Thank you for this comment!
I don’t know if what you say necessarily applies to Allen’s wife, but it does apply to *me*. (I was fostered AND adopted, was an older adoptee, “bonded inappropriately” with others as a youngster and, looking back — suddenly and with complete clarity — I can see that there WERE those who took advantage of that fragility, not unlike the way Allen did, and… holy Christ I see it all, and wow, I’ve been really tough on myself!)
Your comment is so sympathetic and kind, I actually feel like I just had a minor breakthrough of my own. I should probably take this as a sign from On High to actually get myself to therapy to explore “attachment disorders” further. Thank you so much for your caring and thoughtful comment.
I just wanted to say to Jen: big hugs to you. It seems like people around you failed you when you were a child-and you are totally right-you have been really tough on yourself because it’s grown-up person’s job to protect the child and help the child overcome difficulties, it’s not the responsibility of a child. anyway, I just wanted to say: hats off to you.
I need some time to digest this statement because this is the one that hurt when he worked with WA.
I’m fine with his statement. I actually think it speaks volumes and in some ways I believe this more because of how short/curt/terse it was than a winding statement about how much he regrets it even though he knew about it in advance.
But really, what more do we want? I want the studios to stop making Woody Allen films. If actors and actresses refuse to work with him thats a solid step. So, good on you, Colin Firth for being a part of the solution moving forward.
I’m fine with the statement. I don’t know why he had to apologize. It was a contractual obligation so to speak. Plus it was done before Dylan publicly came out with her statement.
I’m just happy people are finally officially announcing they won’t be working with WA anymore instead of defending him or staying quiet and working with him anyway. It’s terrible that it had to take this long but if it brings him down then that is a plus in my book. I do however shudder at what other victims he might have. He’s 82 and considering he’s completely unapologetic this kind of predatory behaviour is most likely not a fluke for him…yikes…
Me too. I wish it had happened decades ago, but better late than never. And like Cosby, I’m glad everyone is turning on him while he’s still here to witness it.
I don’t have a problem with this statement. I do think it won’t be the last thing we hear from him on this subject.
I’m just glad men are being shamed into speaking up. I hope this continues
Me too.
Also, Colin’s movie with WA came out a full year after Cate Blanchett’s with him. I’ve seen her criticized so much for working with him, and Colin (as much as I like him as an actor) has skated by so far. I’m glad he made this statement now though.
this is ok but that movie’s premise was revolting and he never ever should have signed on the first place. a man his age in a romantic role with a woman young enough to be his daughter was a mistake.
This. And the character in the movie was presented as even younger than Emma Stone. Oh, I’m sure noone SAID she was a teen, but she was dressed like a child, in a beret, school type skirt, and a sailor shirt with a neck tie. She had little to no makeup on, and was escorted everywhere by her film mother. Allen can burn for all I care.
Classic WA….all girls are seen as underaged. Remember Margaux Hemmingway, his “love interest “ (vomit!) in Manhattan? She was portrayed as 17 in that film.
Yes. Things were different a generation or two ago. People were far more lenient towards abusers and predators. I’m sure Allen misses those good old days, when he could be more open about his perversions.
When they filmed Manhattan Mariel Hemingway was 16-17. Back in 2015 Vanity Fair had an article in which Mariel said that when she turned 18, Woody asked her to go to Paris with him.
https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/03/woody-allen-mariel-hemingway-manhattan
Colin is my number 1 celebrity love. I think it good he didn’t expound on the sentence. Too much talking often leads trouble.
Yes, smart move. He’s no Matt Damon….
My daughters and I are all mad for him. Gorgeous. Glad he kept his statement short and sweet.
Man, Woody just keeps making that same movie over and over like pancakes. The list of actors he worked with is endless. Tom Hiddleston? Which movie?
As for Firth, whatever the statement, I still welcome a blunt few word like “i won’t work with him” because the more people say that the smaller the room for anyone who would still work with him to rationalise why work with him.
I wonder how’s Kate Winslet feeling these days? A bit stupid maybe?
Tom Hiddleston played F Scott Fitzgerald in Midnight in Paris. It is a travesty Woody Allen was the director b/c it was truly inspired casting.
This skewering of the actors and judging their statements needs to stop – holding a few of these hollywoodsters up as standard bearers of good behaviour but ignoring the mass public who consumes the product, is eye wateringly hypocritical.
WA makes films because people inhale them – the actors sign up for them in some part because he’s a fab story teller but in larger part because the public want to see his films.
I dare say as long as we watch Allen’s films, actors will sign up to do his projects. Don’t hold it as a simple litmus test of their belief in women’s rights, concern about paedophilia and anything else.
Oh yes, and I heart Colin Firth.
I think a lot of people on this site, myself included, DO boycott his movies, and encourage others to. There’s nothing hypocritical about it. We want to rally as many people as possible to hit him where it hurts – his pocketbook and “creative artistry” – and the more, the better.
If this continues and more actirs and actresses denounce him in the near future, I’m curious how Kate Winslet will react.
Or better yet I’m curious if she gets any real backlash because she gushed about him so much at the worst possible moment.
Agreed. Give her a few years and her tune will change. I can absolutely see her rewriting history and acting above it all, suffering for her craft.
I’m wondering if Cate Blanchett, who won in Oscar working with him, or Emma Stone, who chose to work with him TWICE, will speak up given the numerous people denouncing WA. If Timothee Chalamet can speak up in the middle of an Oscar campaign, I’m hoping some of the bigger name women will also make statements. Especially those who publicly support Times Up.
Obviously, I would love for Justin Timberlake and other male actors to also be questioned, but I just can’t see that happening. I have zero doubt that whatever BS Justin Timberlake would spew regarding the subject would be self-centered and meaningless for the larger movement at hand.
To be fair to Colin Firth, he starred in Allen’s movie before Dylan Farrow’s first op-ed. I think his short statement says more than enough. He doesn’t need to go into a long “I’m so sorry, I’ll donate all my money to charity” speech because really there’s nothing for him to be sorry about.
All this rubbish about whether or not to “forgive” actors and actresses for working with him in the past. Or looking for hidden agendas. Is not one of the main points of the movement to educate and enlighten? If someone comes out and says it now – accept it for what it is.
Agreed. But there were also some celebrities who did more than just work with Woody Allen- they’ve made statements implying that his molesting his daughter was just hurtful tabloid gossip, even though Dylan herself is the one speaking out. They really need to apologize and acknowledge their complicity in discrediting Dylan.
Men really can just do the bare minimum and get a pass can’t they? The stanning here for this man is ridiculous.