Colin Firth is the latest actor to make a statement on director Woody Allen. Firth, who appeared in the 2013 film Magic in the Moonlight, told The Guardian Friday, "I wouldn't work with [Allen] again." That was the extent of Firth's statement — he didn't apologize for having worked with Allen, as others have — which leaves his intentions open to interpretation.
The controversy surrounding Allen has been mounting ever since the #metoo movement inspired Dylan Farrow to write an opinion editorial in the LA Times. In the piece, Farrow asked why the movement had spared her adoptive father, who allegedly assaulted her in 1992. Subsequently, the actors Ellen Page, Greta Gerwig, Mira Sorvino, Rebecca Hall, Timothée Chalamet, Griffin Newman, and David Krumholtz have expressed regret for having worked with Allen. Of that group, those who worked with Allen recently — Hall, Chalamet, Krumholtz, and Newman worked with him in the past year — have donated their salaries to charity. Page, Gerwig, and Sorvino apologized directly to Dylan Farrow.
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"I am so sorry, Dylan! I cannot begin to imagine how you have felt, all these years as you watched someone you called out as having hurt you as a child, a vulnerable little girl in his care, be lauded again and again, including by me and countless others in Hollywood who praised him and ignored you," Sorvino wrote in an essay for the Huffington Post. Others have been similarly forthcoming with their apologies. Newman, who is a relative newcomer, sent out a few lengthy tweets expressing his regret. (He donated his salary to RAINN.)
In comparison, Firth's response is parsimonious, if not obvious. At this point, who would work with Allen again? In the year 2018, if you work with Woody Allen, you have to prepare yourself to fend off a lot of questions from entertainment journalists wanting you to justify your actions.
Firth has been in this position before, though. Late last year, as the Weinstein stories came to light, Firth told The Guardian that he was aware of Sophie Dix's encounter with Weinstein when it occurred. Dix and Firth appeared in the 1993 film The Advocate together. At the time Dix was cast in The Advocate, she was summoned to a hotel room to meet with Weinstein. Dix described what followed as "the single most damaging thing" that had happened to her.
“She told me she had had a distressing encounter with Harvey Weinstein," Firth told The Guardian when Dix went public with her story. "To my shame, I merely expressed sympathy...It was a long time ago and I don’t know if she remembers telling me, but the fact that I had that conversation has come back to haunt me in the light of these revelations." It's important that First acknowledged this ghost in his Hollywood past — he's doing what the rest of Hollywood should, holding himself accountable for his actions.
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