Selena Gomez ‘Isn’t Sure How to Answer’ Questions About Woody Allen’s Controversial Past
Zack Sharf
Selena Gomez has been named Billboard’s “Woman of the Year,” and the singer-actress gets honest about working with Woody Allen in a new interview with the magazine. Gomez was cast in Allen’s untitled new film in August opposite Elle Fanning and “Call Me By Your Name” breakout Timothée Chalamet. There are no official details about Gomez’s character at the moment, though she was spotted filming in New York City in September.
“I auditioned five times for it,” Gomez revealed about the movie. “I didn’t have the greatest confidence a few times and they passed on me, but it turned out that they didn’t find anyone, so I auditioned one more time and gave it my all. I do feel like I earned it. And it was a great experience for me. In acting and in film, you’re around a much more stable community. I say that delicately because we all have our stuff, but it was very supportive. It really opened me up, and I needed that after the surgery.”
Gomez also refers to the Allen movie as a “step in the direction [she] wants to go in [with acting].” She’s begun spending time with indie filmmakers like the Josh and Benny Safdie, who last worked with Robert Pattison on this year’s acclaimed “Good Time.” The most high profile indie credit on Gomez’s filmography is Harmony Korine’s “Spring Breakers.”
Billboard also asked Gomez about working with a controversial figure like Allen. The director has been accused of molesting his adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow. Gomez was working with Allen when the sexual harassment and abuse allegations against Harvey Weinstein began coming out. When asked if Woody’s past was something she considered before signing on for the movie, Gomez said: “To be honest, I’m not sure how to answer — not because I’m trying to back away from it.”
“[The Harvey Weinstein allegations] actually happened right after I had started [on the movie]. They popped up in the midst of it. And that’s something, yes, I had to face and discuss,” she said. “I stepped back and thought, ‘Wow, the universe works in interesting ways.'”
Allen’s untitled film currently does not have a release date, although it is expected to be finished for a 2019 festival debut and release. The director’s “Wonder Wheel,” starring Kate Winslet, opens December 1 in select theaters.
