Yahoo Movies Scarlett Johansson criticised over Woody Allen defence
Scarlett Johansson is bearing the brunt of an online backlash, after she defended Woody Allen in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
Johansson, who has worked with Allen on three movies, said that she believed him following decades old allegations that he molested his adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow, when she was a child.
“I love Woody. I believe him, and I would work with him anytime,” Johansson said.
“I see Woody whenever I can, and I have had a lot of conversations with him about it. I have been very direct with him, and he’s very direct with me. He maintains his innocence, and I believe him.”
Read more: Reviews for Woody Allen’s new movie are not good
The 83-year-old director was cleared of wrongdoing in the 90s, after a 14 month investigation into the claims, but the allegations have since re-emerged, notably in a 2017 interview Dylan Farrow conducted with CBS.
Farrow herself broke a lengthy absence from Twitter to post:
Because if we’ve learned anything from the past two years it’s that you definitely should believe male predators who “maintain their innocence” without question. Scarlett has a long way to go in understanding the issue she claims to champion. https://t.co/S1NmttL9tJ
— Dylan Farrow (@RealDylanFarrow) September 5, 2019
Now some have turned on Johansson over the comments, including Pod Save America host John Lovett, partner of Dylan Farrow's brother Ronan.
What a judge of character Scarlett Johansson must believe herself to be, so capable of knowing when she is being deceived or not. It's the kind of arrogance you have to really hone over many years. What child molesters did she find less convincing in her interrogations?
— Jon Lovett (@jonlovett) September 4, 2019
Scarlett Johansson about Woody Allen: “I love Woody. I believe him, and I would work with him anytime”
Welp I guess I won’t be seeing Black Widow in 2020 pic.twitter.com/2frjUpmNuF— 💎 (@__Dimez__) September 4, 2019
#ScarlettJohansson
Addicted to Bad Press: The Scarlett Johansson Story.
Scarlett Johansson Stands With Woody Allen Despite Allegations: “I Believe Him, And I Would Work With Him Anytime”
Hollywood: pic.twitter.com/ddz4E98zH5— Jamie-Lee Costello 🤟🇬🇧 (@jamielee198038) September 4, 2019
Cue Scarlett’s publicist running headfirst into drywall. https://t.co/R0rwW6f2Tp
— Zaki Hasan (@zakiscorner) September 4, 2019
Many also deemed it opportune to bring up Johansson’s recent controversial decision to appear in the movie Ghost In The Shell, the Manga remake in which she was accused of whitewashing.
At this point, I think the only identity Scarlett Johansson hasn’t tried to culturally appropriate is a person with integrity.
— Charlotte Clymer🏳️🌈 (@cmclymer) September 4, 2019
Okay, at this point I kind of think ScarJo is playing Problematic Hollywood Positions Bingo. https://t.co/0IoHgRJAQ5
— Reappropriate (@reappropriate) September 4, 2019
Johansson has starred in three of Allen's movies, Match Point, Scoop and Vicky Cristina Barcelona.
Johansson joins Samantha Morton in supporting Allen against his detractors, with the British actress recently saying she had ‘no regrets’ about working with him.
Other stars, however, have disowned their work for him, including Colin Firth, Selena Gomez and Rebecca Hall.
Read more: Samantha Morton ‘no regrets’ about working with Woody Allen
His latest film, A Rainy Day In New York, has been at the centre of a lawsuit with its producers, Amazon Studios, which shelved the movie last year.
Allen is suing the streaming service, which he claims has reneged on a multi-picture deal.
The movie has now aired in Europe, though to mixed reviews.
