Alec Baldwin defended Woody Allen in a brief Twitter blast Tuesday, describing the backlash against the Hollywood director as “unfair and sad.”
Allen, 82, has a notorious history, and has been accused of sexual assault and child abuse. In 2014, Dylan Farrow — one of Allen’s children with his ex, Mia Farrow — publicly accused Allen of molesting her when she was only seven years old.
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Dylan wrote about the allegations in an open letter to the New York Times. Allen vehemently denied the accusations from the beginning, and he was never charged with a crime.
Then in 2016, Allen’s son, Ronan, wrote a guest column for The Hollywood Reporter, which dealt with the allegations against his father, and condemned the media for not interrogating Allen further. The column also lambasted celebrities who continued to work with Allen. (In response to this article, Allen retorted, “I have no interest in all of that. I find that all tabloid stupidity.”)
Now Baldwin, who worked with Allen on To Rome With Love and Blue Jasmine, is stepping up to defend him as the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements are gaining traction against sex abuse and female mistreatment in Hollywood. Allen was also a guest at Baldwin’s wedding to his wife Hilaria in 2012.
“Woody Allen was investigated forensically by two states (NY and CT) and no charges were filed. The renunciation of him and his work, no doubt, has some purpose,” tweeted Baldwin, 59. “But it’s unfair and sad to me. I worked w WA 3 times and it was one of the privileges of my career.”
“Is it possible to support survivors of pedophilia and sexual assault/abuse and also believe that WA is innocent?” he followed up in a second tweet. “I think so. The intention is not to dismiss or ignore such complaints. But accusing ppl of such crimes should be treated carefully. On behalf of the victims, as well.”
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This all comes as actors who’ve starred in Allen’s movies are donating their entire salary to Time’s Up and other charities. Call Me By Your Name actor Timothée Chalamet, who’s set to star in the upcoming Allen film A Rainy Day in New York, donated everything to Time’s Out, the LGBT Center in New York and the anti-sexual assault organization RAINN.
Rebecca Hall, Chamalet’s co-star in Rainy Day, announced last week that she would also donate her entire salary to Time’s Up. Griffin Newman, another Rainy Day star, announced in October that he’s donating his earnings to RAINN.
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Lady Bird director Greta Gerwig — who appeared in Allen’s To Rome With Love — has vowed to never work with the director again.
The replies to Baldwin’s defence were swift and displeased.
Others agreed with Baldwin.
As of this writing, Allen has not commented on Baldwin’s remarks. His next movie is slated for release at some point in 2018.
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