Miley Cyrus just joined the ranks of actors defending Woody Allen against allegations of sexual abuse. When asked about the 80-year-old actor, director, and producer in an interview with Variety promoting her recent project with him, Crisis in Six Scenes, Cyrus made some pretty shocking remarks.
For years, audiences have struggled with separating the abuse allegations levied against Allen from the endearing movies he creates. But many of the actors who've worked with him have been willing to brush aside what his children with Mia Farrow, Ronan and Dylan, have said about him. In 1992, Dylan accused Allen, her adopted father, of molestation. He was never prosecuted, and has since maintained his innocence.
Now Cyrus has announced that she no qualms with the allegations. When asked if she had any hesitations about working with him, she made her answer very clear: none at all. Cyrus said that since she has gotten to know him and his current family, she has no reason to believe what he has been accused of in the past. "I live a similar life to Woody — I live a public life. Until I know someone and I know their story, I never really judge anyone," she said.
"That’s kind of how I went into it. From the way I saw him with his family, I never saw him be anything but an incredible person and a really great dad. People might slam me for saying that. I’m sure it was a hard time for that family. My family has been through hard things, and I think everyone’s suffering is different." The star also said that she has been a fan of his work through the years and that she "loved working with Woody."
When Kirsten Stewart was asked a similar question about working with Allen on Café Society, she admitted that she did initially have concerns over taking the role. The actress said it was her co-star Jesse Eisenberg who encouraged her to distance herself from the stories about Allen, because, she said, "If we were persecuted for the amount of shit that’s been said about us that’s not true, our lives would be over.”
In a May op-ed for The Hollywood Reporter, Ronan Farrow, Dylan's older brother, wrote about such responses, asserting that it's not fair for his sister to be treated as though she is "invisible." Ronan wrote that for Allen's colleagues overlook the allegations "sends a message to victims that it's not worth the anguish of coming forward. It sends a message about who we are as a society, what we'll overlook, who we'll ignore, who matters and who doesn't."
If you have experienced sexual violence and are in need of crisis support, please call the RAINN Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).