Actor Javier Bardem has defended working with Woody Allen, saying that he is “very shocked” by the “sudden treatment” of the director.
In 1993, Allen was accused by his then seven-year-old adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow, of sexual assault. Allen has always denied the claims and no charges were brought, with the investigation dropped at the time. The accusations have resurfaced in recent years.
The backlash against Allen has grown recently amid the Me Too and Time’s Up movements against sexual abuse in Hollywood, with stars such as Rebecca Hall, Timothee Chalamet, Mira Sorvino and Greta Gerwig all speaking out about their regret at having worked with Allen. Colin Firth said he wouldn’t work with Allen again.
Bardem – who appeared in 2008’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona – has said that he’s “absolutely not” ashamed of having worked with Allen.
“If there was evidence that Woody Allen was guilty, then yes, I would have stopped working with him, but I have doubts,” Bardem told Paris Match.
“I am very shocked by this sudden treatment,” he added of the recent backlash against Allen.
Earlier this year, Allen accused Dylan Farrow of “cynically using” the Time’s Up movement for her own gain. “I never molested my daughter – as all investigations concluded a quarter of a century ago,” Allen said in a statement.
- For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.