The revelations of Harvey Weinstein’s sexual misconduct have inspired a number of actors and actresses to come forward with their own stories of assault. However, Woody Allen hopes it doesn’t “lead to a witch hunt.”
The controversial director, who himself has been accused of sexual misconduct during his career, made the comments in an interview with the BBC. Allen called Weinstein’s actions “sad” and “tragic.” The two collaborated on several projects, including Mighty Aphrodite and Bullets Over Broadway, but Allen said, “No one ever came to me or told me horror stories with any real seriousness. And they wouldn’t, because you are not interested in it. You are interested in making your movie.”
“You do hear a million fanciful rumors all the time,” Allen added. “And some turn out to be true and some — many — are just stories about this actress, or that actor… The whole Harvey Weinstein thing is very sad for everybody involved. Tragic for the poor women that were involved, sad for Harvey that his life is so messed up… There’s no winners in that, it’s just very, very sad and tragic for those poor women that had to go through that.”
While he hopes the revelations about Weinstein lead to “some amelioration,” Allen expressed concern over a potential “witch hunt atmosphere, a Salem atmosphere, where every guy in an office who winks at a woman is suddenly having to call a lawyer to defend himself. That’s not right either. But sure, you hope that something like this could be transformed into a benefit for people rather than just a sad or tragic situation.”
Incidentally, Ronan Farrow, Allen’s estranged son with Mia Farrow, authored one of the initial stories detailing Weinstein’s sexual misconduct. Mia Farrow previously accused Allen of molesting their adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow, at the age of seven. An investigation by the New York Department of Social Service found no credible evidence of abuse or molestation, but Ronan Farrow maintains his sister is telling the truth. Following his separation from Mia Farrow, Allen married Soon-Yi Previn, the adopted daughter of Farrow and her former husband, composer André Previn.
