Woody Allen Says He Should Be “Poster Boy” for #MeToo Movement

Months after Ronan Farrow ignited a cultural movement with his Harvey Weinstein exposé, published by the New Yorker in October, the journalist’s estranged father, Woody Allen, has commented on the fight against sexual misconduct in Hollywood. 

Speaking with the Argentinian news program Periodismo Para Todos (Journalism for All) for a segment that aired Sunday night, Allen suggested that he should be the face of the #MeToo movement, despite daughter Dylan Farrow’s claims that he sexually abused her as a child. Allen, who welcomed Dylan with ex Mia Farrow in 1985, has previously denied her allegations and was never charged following an investigation.

“This is something that has been thoroughly looked at 25 years ago by all the authorities and everybody came to the conclusion that it was untrue. And that was the end, and I’ve gone on with my life. For it to come back now, it’s a terrible thing to accuse a person of. I’m a man with a family and my own children,” said Allen, who shares two teen daughters with his now-wife and Mia Farrow’s adopted daughter, Soon-Yi Previn. “So of course it’s upsetting.”

In the wake of the #MeToo movement, a handful of stars who have worked with Allen — including Greta Gerwig, Ellen Page and Timothee Chalamet — publicly apologized for their association with the filmmaker. On Sunday night, Allen insisted that he is innocent and expressed his support for #MeToo.

“I think in any situation where anyone is accused of something unjustly, this is a sad thing. I think everybody would agree with that,” he said. “Everyone wants justice to be done. If there is something like the #MeToo movement now, you root for them, you want them to bring to justice these terrible harassers, these people who do all these terrible things. And I think that’s a good thing.”

Allen went on to say that it’s unfair for him to be grouped with people like Weinstein, who has since been charged with rape and other felony sex crimes.

“What bothers me is that I get linked with them,” Allen said. “People who have been accused by 20 women, 50 women, 100 women of abuse and abuse and abuse — and I, who was only accused by one woman in a child custody case which was looked at and proven to be untrue, I get lumped in with these people.”

The director then declared that he should be the “poster boy” for #MeToo.

“As I say, I’m a big advocate of the #MeToo movement. I feel when they find people who harass innocent women and men, it’s a good thing that they’re exposing them. But you know I, I should be the poster boy for the #MeToo movement,” he said. “Because I have worked in movies for 50 years. I’ve worked with hundreds of actresses and not a single one — big ones, famous ones, ones starting out — have ever, ever suggested any kind of impropriety at all. I’ve always had a wonderful record with them.”

Allen’s son Moses Farrow recently defended his father in a lengthy blog post, claiming that his mother, Mia Farrow, was the abusive parent — allegations the actress has strongly denied in the past — and dismissed Dylan’s claims of molestation. Dylan later responded on Twitter, calling Moses a “troubled” person.

“As I said when he last made these claims, this is an attempt to deflect from a credible allegation made by an adult woman, by trying to impugn my mother who has only ever been supportive of me and my siblings,” she wrote. “It’s easily disproven, contradicts years of his own statements, is beyond hurtful to me personally, and is part of a larger effort to discredit and distract from my assault. My brother is a troubled person. I’m so sorry he’s doing this.”

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