Paris:
Embattled filmmaker Woody Allen says he does not regret his 2018 statement where he had claimed that he should be the poster boy of #MeToo movement.
In an interview with French outlet France 24, Allen reiterated that in his over 60 years long career, he has never been accused of inappropriate behaviour by the female actors and he has always treated them at par with their male counterparts.
“I should be (poster boy #MeToo movement)… I’ve worked with hundreds of actresses, not one of them has ever complained about me; not a single complaint. I’ve employed women in the top capacity for years and we’ve always paid them the equal of men,” Allen said.
“I’ve done everything the MeToo movement would love to achieve,” he added.
Allen is currently in France to promote his troubled directorial “A Rainy in New York”, which is set to premiere at the Deauville American Film Festival before hitting the French theatres on September 18.
“A Rainy in New York”, which features an ensemble cast of Timothee Chalamet, Elle Fanning, Selena Gomez, Jude Law, Diego Luna and Liev Schreiber, was earlier set to be distributed in the US by Amazon Studios.
But after Allen interview with Argentinian news outlet Periodismo Para Todos, where he said he should be the “poster boy” for the #MeToo movement, the studio terminated its four-movie contract with the director.
“To me the movie is being released all over the world. If people enjoy the movie, I think it will eventually be released in the US. But to me it doesn’t matter, I have already finished another movie.
‘Rainy Day…’ is history. I made it a year ago and now I’m thinking of the next movie. I will put it out and hope for the best. I always hope people will like it. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t. But once I have finished it, the fate of the movie is out of my hand,” the director said.
There is a renewed focus on Allen, who has been accused of sexual abuse by his adoptive daughter Dylan Farrow. The allegations have caught steam in the wake of #MeToo movement which led to a number of actors distancing themselves from the director.
However, two days ago, actor Scarlett Johansson, who worked with Allen on three films, offered support to him.
“I believe him, and I would work with him anytime. I have been very direct with him, and he’s very direct with me. He maintains his innocence, and I believe him,” Johansson told The Hollywood Reporter.
