Javier Bardem defends Woody Allen and says he is 'shocked' by the treatment being meted out to him
Although most of the Hollywood industry has distanced themselves from Woody Allen following multiple charges of sexual abuse against him, the famous director still has some people in the industry who feel differently about the whole situation. And one of them is Javier Bardem.
The actor recently came to the defense of the disgraced director and said in a recent interview that he is “absolutely not” ashamed of having worked with Allen in the past. Bardem starred in the 2008 Woody Allen movie 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona', and the Oscar-winning actor has absolutely no qualms about it.
In his interview with French publication Paris Match, the actor said, "If there was evidence that Woody Allen was guilty, then yes, I would have stopped working with him, but I have doubts."
After a series of sexual abuse allegations were made by Allen's daughter Dylan Farrow, a lot of people from the industry, including stars like Ellen Page, Michael Caine, and Greta Gerwig, said that they would never work with the controversial director again.
“I am very shocked by this sudden treatment,” Bardem said. “Judgments in the states of New York and Connecticut found him innocent. The legal situation today is the same as in 2007.”
What's disturbing about the entire situation with Allen is that no charges were filed against him even after Farrow accused him of molesting her when she was a child, which is something that Allen denies ever doing. “The truth is hard to deny but easy to ignore,” Farrow wrote in one of her pieces. “It breaks my heart when women and men I admire work with Allen, then refuse to answer questions about it.”
Allen was never even put on trial over the alleged charges, and according to his prosecutor, this was done so as to spare Farrow the trauma of a court appearance.
Bardem, who is married to actress Penelope Cruz, was even questioned about the #MeToo movement during the interview, and the actor thinks that the movement has created an unintentional divide between men and women.
“I’m fortunate to have been raised by a very strong mother who taught me to respect women. Today, we have the impression there are men on one side and women on the other, which sends a very bad message to the younger generation,” he said. “The goal is not to be against each other but to be with others.”
