Entertainment

Dylan Farrow Wrote An Op-ed Calling Out Actors Who Spoke Out Against Weinstein — But Not Woody Allen

by Mathew Jedeikin
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

In a frank and thought-provoking new op-ed for The Los Angeles Times, Dylan Farrow called out high-profile actors for what she sees as hypocritical statements about her adopted father and alleged sexual abuser Woody Allen. (Allen has long denied Farrow's claims of abuse.) In her piece Farrow names Kate Winslet, Blake Lively, and Greta Gerwig, specifically, for speaking out amid the allegations against Harvey Weinstein, but not condemning Allen despite Farrow’s claims that he abused her when she was a child. (Bustle reached out to reps for Winslet, Lively, and Gerwig for comment, but didn't receive an immediate response.)

"We are in the midst of a revolution," Farrow begins her op-ed, noting how many women have bravely spoken up about harassment and incidents of misconduct they've experienced and the consequences their abusers have faced. However, as Farrow notes, "the revolution has been selective," as so many people in Hollywood have largely ignored the accusations Farrow has made against Allen. As Farrow also mentions in her piece, they aren't just her own accusations. Several people provided testimonies in court that matched Farrow's claims of a specific incident, Vanity Fair reports, including a babysitter who, according to Farrow, allegedly "saw Allen with his head buried" in her lap when she was not wearing underwear.

"I have long maintained that when I was 7 years old, Woody Allen led me into an attic, away from the babysitters who had been instructed never to leave me alone with him," Farrow claims in her op-ed. "He then sexually assaulted me."

In her piece, Farrow wonders why Allen has been able to escape the fate of other men in Hollywood who have been accused of misconduct. She writes,

Why is it that Harvey Weinstein and other accused celebrities have been cast out by Hollywood, while Allen recently secured a multimillion-dollar distribution deal with Amazon, greenlit by former Amazon Studios executive Roy Price before he was suspended over sexual misconduct allegations?

Farrow then provided examples of actors who she believes have condemned Weinstein, but praised Allen. (For the record, Weinstein has denied allegations of non-consensual sex against him.) First, she compared two statements made by Winslet:

Discussing Weinstein, 'Wonder Wheel' star Kate Winslet said, "The fact that these women are starting to speak out about the gross misconduct of one of our most important and well-regarded film producers, is incredibly brave and has been deeply shocking to hear." Of Allen, she said "I didn’t know Woody and I don’t know anything about that family. As the actor in the film, you just have to step away and say, I don’t know anything, really, and whether any of it is true or false. Having thought it all through, you put it to one side and just work with the person. Woody Allen is an incredible director."

Winslet has been asked about Allen by numerous publications, and seemingly always offers a similar answer. "As far as I know," she told the LA Times in November, "he wasn't convicted of anything." Earlier this month, when questioned by Variety about Allen, Winslet said, "It's just a difficult discussion. I'd rather respectfully not enter it today."

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Farrow went on to call out Lively, noting that when asked about Weinstein, Lively said, "It's important that women are furious right now... it's important that we focus on humanity in general and say, 'This is unacceptable." While on the other hand the Gossip Girl actor offered this response when question about Allen:

"It's very dangerous to factor in things you don't know anything about. I could [only] know my experience."

In her third example, Farrow calls out Gerwig who she says referred to Allen as her "idol." The To Rome With Love actor said that she idolized Allen "as a writer" during an interview with The Guardian in 2012. When asked more recently about the number of men in entertainment who have been accused of misconduct, Gerwig called the revelations "heartbreaking"; although she did not comment on Weinstein in particular in that interview. Farrow also includes a quote from an interview Gerwig did with NPR, in which she comments on Allen, but does not defend him, which can be read in full here.

This isn't the first time Farrow has voiced her allegations against Allen — far from it. In 2014, The New York Times published an open letter by Farrow detailing the alleged abuse. It was the first time Farrow herself addressed the topic, though allegations that Allen had abused his adopted daughter were widely covered in 1993 when Allen and Farrow's mother, Mia Farrow, divorced. Allen responded to the 2014 op-ed in a New York Times story of his own, in which he insisted that he was innocent.

Farrow explains in her new op-ed that the system that protected many powerful men in Hollywood against allegations against them being voiced or talked about by others is still working in Allen's favor, as he remains a powerful person in Hollywood. However, she does also point out that actors like Jessica Chastain and Susan Sarandon (both of whom Farrow notes refuse to work with Allen) have shown, you do not need to work with Allen in order to be taken seriously as an actor, or to be recognized for an outstanding performance.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit online.rainn.org.