Cate Blanchett Says Social Media Isn't 'Judge And Jury' In Cases Like Woody Allen's Alleged Molestation
Cate Blanchett, who won an Oscar for her role in Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine, reveals her thoughts on the allegations against the director.
Cate Blanchett Weighs In On Woody Allen Issue
In an appearance on CNN's Amanpour, the actress was asked about reconciling her role as an active #MeToo and Time's Up proponent with her silence on working with the renowned director who allegedly molested his adoptive daughter Dylan Farrow in 1992.
"I don't think I've stayed silent at all," Blanchett responds, according to the Guardian. "At the time that I worked with Woody Allen, I knew nothing of the allegations. At the time, I said it's a very painful and complicated situation for the family, which I hope they have the ability to resolve."
The actress continues by saying that she believes in the justice system and legal precedents, and if there is cause to reopen the case — as it has been to court already — she "absolutely, wholeheartedly" supports it.
However, Blanchett makes it clear that she doesn't believe in condemning people through the court of public opinion, particularly in social media.
"Social media is fantastic about raising awareness about issues, but it's not the judge and jury," Blanchett points out. "I feel that these things need to go into court, so if these abuses have happened, the person is prosecuted and so someone, who is not in the shiny industry that I am, can use that legal precedent to protect themselves."
Other Stars On Woody Allen
While Blanchett opts to remain cautious in navigating the Allen controversy, other actors and actresses are more definitive in their statements against the renowned director.
His latest film, A Rainy Day in New York, has yet to be released in theaters, but its stars Timothée Chalamet and Rebecca Hall have already promised to donate their salaries from the movie to charity.
Other high-profile celebrities who have worked with Allen and are now speaking out against him include Greta Gerwig, Ellen Page, Rachel Brosnahan, Kate Winslet, Colin Firth, and even Michael Caine.
Farrow, who was adopted by Allen when he was in a relationship with her mother Mia Farrow, penned an open letter published in New York Times in 2014. Here, she details being molested by her adoptive father back in 1992. She was only seven years old.
While she says she's not angry at celebrities who continue to star in Allen's movies and hold him in esteemed regard, Farrow says in an interview in CBS This Morning that she wants them to "acknowledge their complicity" in perpetuating the culture of silence in Hollywood.
"Because I have been saying this — I have been repeating my accusations unaltered for over 20 years and I have been systematically shut down, ignored or discredited," she points out, adding that a lot of the celebrities are advocates of the Time's Up movement. "If they can't acknowledge the accusations of one survivor's how are they going to stand for all of us?"
Allen denies all allegations of sexual abuse.
