Cate Blanchett speaks out over Woody Allen allegations

'I don’t think I’ve stayed silent at all'

Cate Blanchett at the InStyle Awards 2017 (Getty)

Thanks to the #MeToo and Time’s Up campaigns, actors who previously worked with Woody Allen have begun being questioned about their ties to the controversial director.

The latest to speak about claims of sexual abuse against Allen is Cate Blanchett, who won the best actress Oscar for Blue Jasmine, directed by the filmmaker.

“I don’t think I’ve stayed silent at all,” Blanchett told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour when asked how she could stay silent on Allen yet support the #MeToo movement.

“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.”

Allen’s adopted daughter Dylan Farrow has alleged on numerous occasions that the directed sexually assaulted her many years ago, accusations that have been denied.

While an investigation into the claims took place, the director was never put on trial. Questioned further, Blanchett also spoke about the justice system.

“If these allegations need to be re-examined which, in my understanding, they’ve been through court, then I’m a big believer in the justice system and setting legal precedents,” she said, via The Guardian. “If the case needs to be reopened, I am absolutely, wholeheartedly in support of that.”

Speaking about social media, the actor said we should not allow Twitter and Facebook to act as “judge and jury”, adding: “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. Always, in my industry or any other industry, they’re preyed upon because they’re vulnerable.”

Greta Gerwig — who appeared in Allen’s movie To Rome With Love — was one of the first actors to publicly speak out about regrets working with him, saying: “If I had known then what I know now, I would not have acted in the film. I have not worked for him again, and I will not work for him again.”

Two actors who worked on the upcoming Allen film A Rainy Day in New York — Timothée Chalamet and Rebecca Hall — have donated their salaries to the Time’s Up movement.

Colin Firth and Michael Cane, who have both worked with the director, also said they would not work with Allen again soon after.