Scarlett Johansson might the highest-paid actress in Hollywood with a repertoire of blockbusters under her belt, but she also has a tendency to put her foot in it during interviews.
Most recently, ScarJo told The Hollywood Reporter she believes director Woody Allen is innocent, despite allegations that he sexually abused his adoptive daughter, Dylan Farrow, when she was a young girl.
“I love Woody. I believe him, and I would work with him anytime,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. Johansson was Allen’s muse during the mid noughties as the star of films like Match Point and Vicky Cristina Barcelona.
Credit: Photo by Jeff Vespa/WireImage
“I see Woody whenever I can, and I have had a lot of conversations with him about it,” she said. “I have been very direct with him, and he’s very direct with me. He maintains his innocence, and I believe him.”
Allen was first accused of sexually assaulting his adoptive daughter Dylan Farrow in 1992, eight months after his partner Mia Farrow learned he was having an affair with another adoptive daughter, Soon-Yi Previn. Allen and Farrow entered a bitter custody battle, but the judge never found him guilty of the sexual assault.
Over the years, Dylan Farrow has repeated the allegations against Allen, and last year her claims resurfaced in light of the #MeToo movement. Since then, members of the film industry have distanced themselves from Allen, and he continues to deny all allegations.
“It’s hard because it’s a time where people are very fired up, and understandably,” Johansson said during her interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “Things needed to be stirred up, and so people have a lot of passion and a lot of strong feelings and are angry, rightfully so.”
Johansson has already copped major backlash for her comments, but it’s not the first time she’s found herself in the midst of a controversy.
In July this year, ScarJo was slammed after she said she “should be allowed to play any person, or any tree, or any animal,” despite being accused of ‘whitewashing’ when she played an Asian character in Ghost in the Shell. Johansson also faced criticism when she was cast as a transgender man in the upcoming biopic Rub & Tug.
Credit: Kodansha Comics/DreamWorks
ScarJo withdrew from the role in Rub & Tug and said her comments were “taken out of context.” Will she back peddle on her comments about Woody Allen? Either way, she’s not doing herself any favours.
If you, or anyone you know is a victim of sexual abuse, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or 1800 RESPECT for support services.