Susan Sarandon slams Woody Allen
Susan Sarandon has slammed Woody Allen for "sexually assaulting a child".
The ‘Lovely Bones’ actress was speaking alongside her ‘Thelma and Louise’ co-star Geena Davis at a ‘Woman in Motion’ talk at the Cannes Film Festival – where the 90-year-old director’s new movie, ‘Café Society’, premiered earlier this week – when she hit out at the filmmaker, whose daughter Dylan Farrow previously accused him of abusing her when she was just seven years old.
Susan said: "I think he sexually assaulted a child and I don’t think that’s right.
"I have nothing good to say about him. I don’t want to go there."
The 69-year-old actress declined to comment further on the subject.
Her comments come after Kristen Stewart, who stars in ‘Café Society’, admitted she and co-star Jesse Eisenberg had discussed whether or not to appear in the movie because of the allegations against the director.
She said: "I was like, ‘What do you think? We don’t know any of these people involved. I can personalise situations, which would be very wrong.’
"At the end of the day, Jesse and I talked about this. If we were persecuted for the amount of s**t that’s been said about us that’s not true, our lives would be over. The experience of making the movie was so outside of that, it was fruitful for the two of us to go on with it."
Also this week, Dylan’s brother Ronan Farrow penned a column for The Hollywood Reporter in which he publicly gave his support to his older sister.
Ronan stated he witnessed "inappropriate" behaviour from his father, writing: "I believe my sister. This was always true as a brother who trusted her, and – even at five years old – was troubled by our father’s strange behaviour around her: climbing into her bed in the middle of the night, forcing her to suck his thumb – behaviour that had prompted him to enter into therapy focused on his inappropriate conduct with children prior to the allegations."
He is also dismayed that major stars such as Kristen, Blake Lively and Steve Carell all continue to work with Woody, despite the allegations made against him.
He said: "Actors, including some I admire greatly, continue to line up to star in his movies. ‘It’s not personal,’ one once told me. But it hurts my sister every time one of her heroes like Louis C.K., or a star her age, like Miley Cyrus, works with Woody Allen. Personal is exactly what it is – for my sister, and for women everywhere with allegations of sexual assault that have never been vindicated by a conviction.
"He’ll have his stars at his side – Kristen Stewart, Blake Lively, Steve Carell, Jesse Eisenberg. They can trust that the press won’t ask them the tough questions. It’s not the time, it’s not the place, it’s just not done."
Woody and Ronan and Dylan’s mother, actress Mia Farrow, have had an embittered relationship ever since the Hollywood legend left her and married Soon-Yi Previn – the daughter Mia adopted with her ex-husband Andre Previn – in 1997.
Woody and Soon-Yi have two children together, daughters Bechet, 17, and 16-year-old Manzie.
