In a New York Times op-ed published yesterday, Lady Bird writer and director Greta Gerwig finally spoke up about Woody Allen, who she once called her “idol” and worked with in 2012. “If I had known then what I know now, I would not have acted in the film,” Gerwig said. “I have not worked for him again, and I will not work for him again.”
Allen allegedly molested his adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow, at seven years old. Farrow first wrote about the abuse in 2014, and about a month ago, in a piece for the Los Angeles Times, asked why the #MeToo revolution has spared Allen. She pointed to several women, including Gerwig, who have publicly denounced predators like Harvey Weinstein but continued to support her abuser’s work. “It breaks my heart when women and men I admire work with Allen, then refuse to answer questions about it,” she wrote. “The system worked for Harvey Weinstein for decades. It works for Woody Allen still.”
Many women in Hollywood have hesitated to criticize Allen—just earlier this week, Gerwig awkwardly dodged questions about him at a Golden Globes backstage interview.
“It is something that I take very seriously and have been thinking deeply about,” she told the New York Times. “It has taken me time to gather my thoughts and say what I mean to say. I grew up on his movies, and they have informed me as an artist, and I cannot change that fact now, but I can make different decisions moving forward. Dylan Farrow’s two different pieces made me realize that I increased another woman’s pain, and I was heartbroken by that realization.”
Last night, Farrow tweeted, “Greta, thank you for your voice. Thank you for your words. Please know they are deeply felt and appreciated.”
Top photo by Nadya Wasylko for BUST
More from BUST
When Will Hollywood Listen To Dylan Farrow?
Woody Allen Feels Sorry For Harvey Weinstein, Surprise, Surprise
Greta Gerwig On Directing Her New Movie “Lady Bird” And Writing About Women: Interview Sneak Peek
