Scarlett Johansson defends friendship with Woody Allen: 'I believe him'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Scarlett Johansson is speaking out about her friendship with director Woody Allen after he was accused of child molestation in 2014.
The actress revealed she supports Allen, 83, in a new cover story for The Hollywood Reporter, and would not turn down the chance to work with him in the future.
“How do I feel about Woody Allen? I love Woody,” she told THR. “I believe him, and I would work with him anytime.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}SCARLETT JOHANSSON CLARIFIES COMMENTS ABOUT POLITICALLY CORRECT CASTING
The pair have worked together on movies "Match Point," "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," and "Scoop" in past years.
Scarlett Johansson admitted she would work with Woody Allen again. (THR/Zoe McConnell )
The 34-year-old continued, “I see Woody whenever I can, and I have had a lot of conversations with him about it. I have been very direct with him, and he’s very direct with me. He maintains his innocence, and I believe him.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}SCARLETT JOHANSSON ADMITS NEW MOVIE ABOUT DIVORCE MIRRORED HER OWN LIFE: 'IT FELT FATED'
“It’s hard because it’s a time where people are very fired up, and understandably,” Johansson added. “Things needed to be stirred up, and so people have a lot of passion and a lot of strong feelings and are angry, and rightfully so. It’s an intense time.”
Scarlett Johansson, seen here with director Woody Allen in 2008, is being slammed by fans on social media for defending Allen even though she called out James Franco. (Reuters)
Meanwhile, fellow actors such as Freida Pinto, Greta Gerwig, Colin Firth, and Mira Sorvino, have openly committed to never working the Allen again.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}WOODY ALLEN SAYS HE’LL ‘NEVER STOP WRITING’: ‘IT’S WHAT I DO’
In the midst of the #MeToo movement, Dylan Farrow's molestation accusations against her adoptive father came to light again. She first accused him in 2014 in a New York Times open letter. Allen has continually denied the allegations and was not charged.
Actors who like Johansson support Allen include Alan Alda, Javier Bardem, and Anjelica Huston.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}WOODY ALLEN AND SOON-YI PREVIN'S DAUGHTER DEFENDS HIM FROM SEX ABUSE CLAIMS
Johansson posed for The Hollywood Reporter. (THR/Zoe McConnell )
“I’d work with him again if he wanted me to,” Alda told The Hollywood Reporter back in January. “I don’t know all the facts, I don’t know if he’s guilty or innocent. But you can be uncertain – that’s what I go on.”
Bardem said in October 2018 at the Lumière Film Festival -- “At the time I did ‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona,’ the allegations were already well-known for more than 10 years, and two states in the U.S. deemed he was not guilty."
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“If the legal situation ever changes, then I’d change my mind,” he continued. “But for now I don’t agree with the public lynching that he’s been receiving, and if Woody Allen called me to work with him again, I’d be there tomorrow morning. He’s a genius.”
In the interview, Johansson also discussed the 2020 presidential election and her decision to support Elizabeth Warren.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“[Warren] feels like someone who is thoughtful and progressive but realistic. It’s not like her campaign is making these crazy, outlandish promises that seem impossible to reach. There’s a strategy there.”
Fox News' Kathleen Joyce contributed to this report.