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At 89 years old, Woody Allen isn’t backing down.
Despite decades of scandal, accusations and public scrutiny, the Oscar-winning director called cancel culture “just dumb.”
In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, Allen said, “Life is a series of silly mistakes.”
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Oscar-winning director Woody Allen talks about cancel culture despite personal controversies, including marriage to Soon-Yi Previn and abuse allegations. (Elisabetta A. Villa/Getty Images)
Allen’s illustrious career has been tainted by some of the most shocking allegations in Hollywood history.
The allegations first came to light in 1992, when Dylan Farrow, then seven years old, accused her adoptive father, Allen, of sexually molesting her in their Connecticut home.
Dylan was adopted by Mia Farrow, Allen’s long-term partner at the time, in 1985.
In his previously published memoir “Apropos of Nothing,” Allen expressed a mix of grief, frustration and disbelief, even as he praises the #MeToo movement for helping women in many areas. However, he made it clear that he finds cancel culture absurd, calling it “just dumb” the Wall Street Journal reported.
In the aftermath of renewed allegations, several high-profile actors have publicly renounced Allen and expressed regret for collaborating with him.
Despite the fallout, Allen appeared more dismayed than angry at Hollywood’s reaction.
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Woody Allen, 89, refused to be cancelled despite decades of scandal and public scrutiny, calling cancel culture ‘just dumb’ in a recent Wall Street Journal interview. (Marilla Sicilia/Archivio Marilla Sicilia/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)
“If an actor says, ‘I won’t work with him,’ basically, the actor is thinking, ‘I’m doing a good thing,’ from his point of view, ‘I’m making a contribution, I’m making a statement,’” Allen shared with the Wall Street Journal. “But he’s really making a mistake. Some day he may learn that.”
Allen took a deep dive into the events that led to the accusations and continued to react to the fallout.
While Allen faced personal and public tragedy, he couldn’t help but find some dark humor in the situation.
“Yes, to me, it’s amusing to watch the reactions,” he said to the Wall Street Journal, reflecting on how people have discussed his case with certainty. “It’s so funny, they’re all talking, and they’re all certain of their ground on it and here I’m sitting, and I know the actual truth, and they don’t have it, yet they’re speaking with professional authority.”
Woody Allen (left) and actress Mia Farrow pose under an awning with their children, from left, Misha, Dylan (in Farrow’s arms), Fletcher, and Soon Yi, New York, New York, 1986. Soon-Yi later married Allen. ((Photo by Ann Clifford/DMI/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images))
While he defended his innocence to the accusations, he alluded to the emotional toll the entire ordeal has taken in his memoir.
“I understand her shock, her dismay, her rage, everything,” Allen wrote of Mia, referring to the aftermath of their breakup and the subsequent legal battle. “It was the correct reaction,” he admitted.
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Allen continued to address the persistent allegations against him. Allen pointed to two separate independent investigations, one conducted by the Child Sexual Abuse Clinic at Yale-New Haven Hospital and the other by New York State child welfare authorities, both of which found no evidence to support the claims made by his adopted daughter, Dylan.
Despite the exonerations, the battle wasn’t over. In 1993, a judge ruled that sole custody of Dylan and her brother, Satchel, was awarded to their mother, Mia. The decision marked a bitter turning point in Allen’s personal life.
“I understand her shock, her dismay, her rage, everything,” Allen wrote of Mia in his memoir. (Getty)
While the truth behind Allen and Dylan’s explosive accusations is in the past — only they know what really happened.
Dylan has been unwavering in her claim that Allen sexually assaulted her, but the filmmaker continues to deny it and insisted that while Dylan “believes what was suggested to her,” he never abused her.
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In his memoir, Allen wrote, “I am convinced she believes what was suggested to her and drummed into her for so many years.”
Dylan, now 40, fired back, and said, “I am sick and tired of the misogynistic and unscientific narrative that I was coached or brainwashed. Far from it, this is a truth I reported as a child and have continued to recount consistently since. I am a 40-year-old woman. I was sexually assaulted by Woody Allen.”
Director Woody Allen and wife Soon-Yi Previn are seen on Oct. 27, 2022, in Paris. (Marc Piasecki via Getty Images)
During Allen’s illustrious career, he had more than 50 films under his belt, numerous plays, short story collections and a stand-up comedy career that helped define an era.
Despite his success, his personal life has been plagued by scandal.
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Allen’s first two marriages ended in divorce, but the public controversy began when he married Soon-Yi Previn — the adopted daughter of his then long-time girlfriend, Mia.
He began their relationship when Previn was just 21, sparking a tabloid frenzy that would haunt him for years.
Allen and Previn are currently married. The couple tied the knot in December 1997, and they have two adopted daughters together, named Bechet and Manzie. While they maintain a relatively low public profile, Allen and Previn have made public appearances together in recent years.