Actor Wallace Shawn has hit back at his critics who have slammed him following his decision to work with director Woody Allen.
Actor Wallace Shawn Defends Working With Director Woody Allen-‘These Had Been Wonderful Experiences For Me’
Woody, for his part, has been on the wrong end of some disturbing allegations. The rise of the #MeToo movement has led to an examination of a claim made by his daughter Dylan Farrow.
The former had accused Woody of conducting sexual abuse against her while she was a child. The claims were made in 2014 when Dylan wrote a letter that was published in the New York Times claiming that the incident had occurred during Woody’s split from her mother, Mia Farrow.
Woody denied doing anything of the sort, but it did not stop the criticism that had been coming his way. Although many actors have distanced themselves from the director as a consequence of all this, including big names such as Michael Caine, Wallace has been left puzzled by their decision.
In a letter, Wallace wrote how Dylan’s account of Woody was far from the person that he knew. He said: “I had appeared in five films directed by Woody Allen. These had been wonderful experiences for me.
“[Dylan’s] presented left a lot of questions unanswered, and it certainly didn’t square with the sense I had of Woody Allen.”
Furthermore, Wallace felt that there had to be a distinction between having condemnation for something that Woody may have done from the fact that he is a top-notch director.
Therefore, just because somebody has decided to work with him does not mean that they are demeaning anything Dylan has said. It is simply a respect for an art form that all actors appreciate.
He added: “[Dylan is] making the point that, in her view, for an actor to appear in one of Woody Allen’s films demonstrated an indifference or contempt towards her.”
Nevertheless, Woody has continued to divide public opinion. Many feel that high-profile actors should stop working with him until the investigation has concluded what had happened.
With that in mind, the only thing we can do is wait for the authorities to get to the bottom of this. If you liked reading this article, then check out our other features on the Daily Soap Dish.
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