Entertainment

Dylan Farrow Just Called Out Celebs Who Support Both #TimesUp & Woody Allen

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In a statement given to BuzzFeed News after the 2018 Golden Globes, Dylan Farrow called out celebrities for working with Woody Allen. At last Sunday's awards show, most men and women dressed in black as a way to support the Time's Up initiative and anyone coming forward alleging sexual misconduct in every industry, not only Hollywood. Well, 32-year-old Farrow isn't here for what she finds to be some celebrities' hypocrisy. She told BuzzFeed News:

I fully support women taking a stand, linking arms with other women (and men), advocating on behalf of one another to effect change not only in the entertainment industry but in the world at large. That is an admirable and worthwhile objective, I hope these women change the world.

In response to those standing with accusers, but who have also worked with Allen and continue to work with the director, her statement continued:

That said, the people who join this movement without taking any kind of personal accountability for the ways in which their own words and decisions have helped to perpetuate the culture they are fighting against, that’s hard for me to reconcile.

In February 2014, Farrow accused Allen of sexually assaulting her when she was a child. Allen adopted Farrow in 1991 while he was in a longterm relationship with her mother, Mia Farrow (she adopted Dylan in 1985). In a letter for The New York Times, Farrow wrote:

What’s your favorite Woody Allen movie? Before you answer, you should know: when I was seven years old, Woody Allen took me by the hand and led me into a dim, closet-like attic on the second floor of our house. He told me to lay on my stomach and play with my brother’s electric train set. Then he sexually assaulted me. He talked to me while he did it, whispering that I was a good girl, that this was our secret, promising that we’d go to Paris and I’d be a star in his movies.

Allen denied Farrow's allegations in a piece he wrote for The New York Times that same February. "Of course, I did not molest Dylan," he claimed.

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The problem Farrow has with Hollywood at the moment is that many celebrities have spoken out against what women and men have allegedly endured at the hands of men in power, like Harvey Weinstein (his rep has repeatedly denied "any allegations of non-consensual sex"); however, somehow, Allen has seemingly remained in the good graces of many celebs — at least enough that they continue to work with him.

Farrow wants to know where her support is, when so many others have received theirs. "It’s of course particularly hard for me as a survivor of sexual abuse to know that for these particular individuals I am not part of the 'every woman' they stand for," Farrow also told BuzzFeed. "I seem to remain secondary to their ambition, which undermines the powerful and embracing message they are trying to send."

Such celebs Farrow has found issue with, include, but are not limited to, Justin Timberlake and Blake Lively. First of all, both have supported Time's Up, an initiative started in January that proclaims time's up on tolerating discrimination, harassment, and abuse. Lively also signed the letter. What Farrow has a problem with is that they've worked with Allen and have made controversial statements regarding him, his work, and the allegations brought against him by Farrow.

After starring in Allen's 2016 Café Society, Lively was asked at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival about Farrow's allegations against the director and said, "It's very dangerous to factor in things you don't know anything about. I could [only] know my experience. And my experience with Woody is he's empowering to women." She also said, "It's amazing what Woody has written for women."

Timberlake, who stars in Allen's 2017 film Wonder Wheel, said on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert (series film editing: Rachel Whitaker), "I will say this, working with Woody Allen was like a dream come true."

Farrow told BuzzFeed of the actors, "I struggle to understand how a woman who believes Woody Allen is 'empowering to women' can claim the role as an advocate for women suffering from sexual harassment." Farrow continued, "I struggle with how a powerful force like Justin Timberlake can claim to be in awe of the strength of women and stand with them at this #MeToo moment and then in the next breath say that working with Woody Allen is a 'dream come true.'" (Bustle reached out to a rep for Lively and an agent for Timberlake for comment on Farrow's statement, but did not receive an immediate response.)

In a December 2017 op-ed for The Los Angeles Times, Farrow also commented on Lively. "Although the culture seems to be shifting rapidly, my allegation is apparently still just too complicated, too difficult, too 'dangerous,' to use Lively’s term, to confront."

There's no doubt Time's Up is taking great initiative when it comes to sexual misconduct, but the point Farrow is making can't be ignored. If a person's time is up for allegedly sexually harassing or assaulting an individual then shouldn't that go for everyone? It's clear that much more work needs to be done. And when it comes to Allen, Farrow isn't going to let anyone off the hook for their continued support of him.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit online.rainn.org.