Cate Blanchett: Social Media Is “Not the Judge and Jury” of Woody Allen

As more and more figures in Hollywood speak out about the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements sweeping Ho..

admin March 22, 2018 11:13 pm

As more and more figures in Hollywood speak out about the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements sweeping Hollywood, they are, for the most part, also taking a step away from director Woody Allen, due to the allegations against the director brought forth by Dylan Farrow, Allen’s estranged daughter. For years, Farrow has claimed that Allen sexually abused her when she was a child. (Allen has denied the claims.) Numerous actresses—Greta Gerwig,Rebecca Hall,Ellen Page,Rachel Brosnahan,Kate Winslet—and actors—Colin Firth,Michael Caine,Timothée Chalamet—who collaborated with Allen in the past have publicly spoken out against the director in recent months. But one actress, Allen’s Oscar-winning Blue Jasmine leading lady Cate Blanchett, isn’t quite as ready to step away. In a new interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Blanchett said that social media—the birthplace of these hashtag social-justice movements—is “not the judge and jury” when it comes to Allen.

In the wake of the Time’s Up movement, Dylan Farrow has been emboldened to share her story more publicly and more often, prompting journalists such as Amanpour to press former- and current-Allen collaborators for their take on the director. Amanpour questioned Blanchett, saying: “How do you juxtapose being a #MeToo proponent, a Time’s Up proponent, and staying silent or having worked with Woody Allen?” She also asked if Blanchett would work with Allen again, given the allegations. The actress responded:

I don’t think I’ve stayed silent at all. At the time that I worked with Woody Allen, I knew nothing of the allegations, and it came out during the time that the film was released. 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. And 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. If the case needs to be reopened, I am absolutely, wholeheartedly in support of that. Because I think that there’s one thing about—social media is fantastic about raising awareness about issues, but it’s not the judge and jury.

Blanchett elaborated that her preference for a more codified condemnation of sexual abusers is derived from concern for future victims. “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,” she explained. “Always, in my industry or any other industry, they’re preyed upon because they’re vulnerable.”

Allen, meanwhile, issued the following statement to CBS This Morning back in January after Farrow re-stated her allegations of abuse:

When this claim was first made more than 25 years ago, it was thoroughly investigated by both the Child Sexual Abuse Clinic of the Yale-New Haven Hospital and New York State Child Welfare. They both did so for many months and independently concluded that no molestation had ever taken place. Instead, they found it likely a vulnerable child had been coached to tell the story by her angry mother during a contentious breakup. Dylan’s older brother Moses has said that he witnessed their mother doing exactly that—relentlessly coaching Dylan, trying to drum into her that her father was a dangerous sexual predator.

Farrow named Blanchett (and a few other actresses) specifically when pointing out what was, in her view, an incongruity between defending Woody Allen while also declaring that “Time’s Up.”

This article has been updated.

Get Vanity Fair’s HWD NewsletterSign up for essential industry and award news from Hollywood.Full ScreenPhotos:See Cate Blanchett’s Style Evolution from Her Very First Oscars

Oscars, 1999

For her first Oscars, and first nomination for best actress for her role as Queen Elizabeth I in Elizabeth, Blanchett wore a gown by John Galliano.Photo: By KMazur/WireImage.

Oscars, 2000

For her second time at the awards, she chose a black gown by Jean Paul Gaultier with gold-chain details on her arms and back.Photo: By Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic.

Golden Globes, 2003

Photo: By Frank Micelotta/Getty Images.

Oscars, 2005

Blanchett won her first Oscar, in 2005, in a pale-yellow silk-taffeta confection designed by Valentino.Photo: By Carlo Allegri/Getty Images.

Oscars, 2016

She may not have won the Oscar that night, but Blanchett had one of the best looks on the red carpet with her floral-embellished Armani Privé gown.Photo: By Steve Granitz/WireImage.

Louis Vuitton exhibition, 2016

Perfectly complementing the step-and-repeat, she wore a black, white, grey, and yellow Louis Vuitton dress to celebrate an exhibition in honor of the designer.Photo: By Masatoshi Okauchi/REX/Shutterstock.