Javier Bardem Supports Woody Allen and Says He’s ‘Absolutely Not’ Ashamed They Worked Together
Zack Sharf
Javier Bardem is standing by Woody Allen amid industry backlash against the writer-director over a sexual abuse accusation made by his adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow. Bardem spoke with French publication Paris Match and said he is “absolutely not” ashamed to have worked with Allen on the 2008 comedy-drama “Vicky Cristina Barcelona.”
“If there was evidence that Woody Allen was guilty, then yes, I would have stopped working with him, but I have doubts,” Bardem said about the allegation and Hollywood’s critical reaction to Allen over the last several months.
Farrow has long accused Allen of molesting her as a child. Her allegation resurfaced in the height of the #MeToo movement. Allen denies the accusation is true. Many actors who worked with Allen have spoken out against the director and/or have expressed regrets over working with him, including Greta Gerwig, Ellen Page, Griffin Newman, and Hayley Atwell. Actors Rebecca Hall and Timothée Chalamet announced they would be donating their salaries for working on Allen-directed features to anti-harassment charities.
“I am very shocked by this sudden treatment,” Bardem said about the response. “Judgments in the states of New York and Connecticut found him innocent. The legal situation today is the same as in 2007.”
Bardem joins Diane Keaton and Alec Baldwin in supporting Allen. The actor will be heading to Cannes next month as a cast member in Asghar Farhadi’s opening night film “Everybody Knows,” in which Bardem stars opposite Penélope Cruz. Cruz and Bardem both starred in Allen’s “Vicky Cristina Barcelona.”
As for Allen, the director wrapped production on his latest feature, “A Rainy Day in New York,” in the fall. The film currently does not have any release date planned, nor has Allen announced a movie to shoot in 2019. The director’s last effort, the Kate Winslet-starring “Wonder Wheel,” opened last December.
