Mia Farrow says she 'completely' understands if actors work with Woody Allen

Mia Farrow says she 'completely' understands if actors work with Woody Allen

Is it OK for actors to work with Woody Allen? Mia Farrow is weighing in.

The "Rosemary's Baby" star, 79, told "CBS Sunday Morning" that she does not hold anything against actors who star in films directed by her former partner, who she has accused of molesting their adopted daughter Dylan Farrow.

"I completely understand if an actor decides to work with him," Farrow said of Allen. "I'm not one who says, 'Oh, they shouldn't.'"

When asked by CBS if she is able to separate her experience of working on Allen's movies from the "personal trials and tribulations" that followed, Farrow also told the network, "Oh, yeah."

Mia Farrow attends the Time 100 Gala on April 26, 2023.
Mia Farrow attends the Time 100 Gala on April 26, 2023.

Farrow starred in numerous films directed by Allen, including 1985's "The Purple Rose of Cairo" and 1986's "Hannah and Her Sisters." She and the filmmaker dated from 1980 to 1992, and she adopted Dylan Farrow in 1985.

Mia and Dylan Farrow have both accused Allen of sexually assaulting Dylan in 1992, when she was 7 years old. As an adult, Dylan Farrow spoke out about the allegations in an essay for The New York Times in 2014, writing that the director "sexually assaulted me."

Allen has denied the allegation and has never been charged with a crime. In 2021, both Mia and Dylan Farrow recounted their allegations in the HBO documentary series "Allen v. Farrow." Allen has continued directing films, most recently bringing "Coup de chance" to the Venice Film Festival in 2023.

Kate Winslet, Rebecca Hall have said they regret working with Woody Allen

Amid the rise of the #MeToo movement, though, numerous actors who have starred in Allen's movies have said they regret doing so and would not work with him again.

In a series of social media posts in 2017, actor and podcaster Griffin Newman, who had a role in Allen's film "A Rainy Day in New York," said he "deeply" regrets taking the part and would donate his salary to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network.

"It was an educational experience for all the wrong reasons," Newman said. "I learned conclusively that I cannot put my career over my morals again."

Mia Farrow confronts Allen in taped call on 'Allen v. Farrow'

Rebecca Hall also said in 2018 that she regrets starring in "A Rainy Day in New York" and would donate her salary to Time's Up.

"I see, not only how complicated this matter is, but that my actions have made another woman feel silenced and dismissed," Hall said. "That is not something that sits easily with me in the current or indeed any moment, and I am profoundly sorry. I regret this decision and wouldn't make the same one today."

In a 2020 interview with Vanity Fair, Kate Winslet, who starred in Allen's 2017 film "Wonder Wheel," asked herself what she was "doing" by working with him and said she has to "take responsibility" for doing so.

'Allen v. Farrow': Woody proposed 'father-daughter time' in attic, says Dylan, 7, in disturbing video

In 2021, Drew Barrymore interviewed Dylan Farrow on her talk show and said she regrets working with the director on the 1996 film "Everyone Says I Love You."

"There was no higher career calling card than to work with Woody Allen," Barrymore said. "And then I had children, and it changed me because I realized that I was one of the people who was basically gaslit into not looking at a narrative beyond what I was being told."

Farrow tearfully thanked Barrymore at the time, telling her these comments were "brave and incredibly generous."

Other actors have defended working with Allen and expressed support for him. In 2018, Javier Bardem, who starred in Allen's movie "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," said he would work with the director again "tomorrow."

"Public accusations are very dangerous," Bardem said, according to Variety. "If some day there is a trial and it's proven to be true, I would change my opinion, but at this moment, nothing has changed."

In 2019, Scarlett Johansson, who starred in Allen's movies "Match Point," "Scoop" and "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," told The Hollywood Reporter, "I love Woody. I believe him, and I would work with him anytime."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mia Farrow understands actors working with Woody Allen