Woody Allen is giving this official statement thing a second try. On Saturday, the controversial Oscar-winning director made some remarks about the disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein in an interview with the BBC, saying that the scandal—which broke after word of Weinstein’s alleged decades of sexual misconduct came to light—is “tragic for the poor women that were involved, sad for Harvey that [his] life is so messed up.” Allen also urged observers not to turn this scandal into “a witch hunt,” one in which “every guy in an office who winks at a woman is suddenly having to call a lawyer to defend himself.” Those remarks quickly came under fire, forcing Allen to release a second statement to Variety.
“When I said I felt sad for Harvey Weinstein, I thought it was clear the meaning was because he is a sad, sick man,” Allen’s statement reads. “I was surprised it was treated differently. Lest there be any ambiguity, this statement clarifies my intention and feelings.”
Allen has worked with Weinstein a handful of times over the decades, on films like 2008’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona and 1995’s Mighty Aphrodite (the star of which, Mira Sorvino, is one of the 38 women accusing Weinstein of sexual misconduct). In his original remarks to the BBC, Allen noted that he had heard rumors of Weinstein’s behavior, but initially dismissed them.
“No one ever came to me or told me horror stories with any real seriousness,” Allen said. “And they wouldn’t, because you are not interested in it. You are interested in making your movie. But you do hear a million fanciful rumors all the time. And some turn out to be true and some—many—are just stories about this actress, or that actor.”
After making his remarks about Weinstein, Allen’s own past was brought to the fore once again. The writer-director has been accused of sexually abusing his daughter, Dylan Farrow. He later denied these allegations in a op-ed. Allen’s estranged son, the journalist op-ed. Allen’s estranged son, the journalist Ronan Farrow, was also the author of the explosive article about Weinstein, which contained a damning audio recording of the disgraced producer admitting that he had groped a model’s breast.
In the wake of all the new reports, the N.Y.P.D. and the British police are both launching new investigations into claims made against Weinstein. He has also since been fired from the Weinstein Company, expelled from the Motion Picture Academy, and shunned from the upper echelons of the industry. Sallie Hofmeister, Weinstein’s spokesperson, issued a statement denying the allegations: “Any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr. Weinstein.”
After re-releasing his remarks, Allen joins stars like Mayim Bialik and Paul Schrader, whose bungled initial comments about Weinstein have received more backlash than praise.
