Scarlett Johansson came out as a Woody Allen supporter in this week’s issue of The Hollywood Reporter. The actress, who plays the “moral compass” in the upcoming Jojo Rabbit film, has previously worked with Allen in Match Point, Scoop, and Vicky Cristina Barcelona and revealed that she’d love to be in another of his films. “How do I feel about Woody Allen?” she asked. “I love Woody. I believe him, and I would work with him anytime.” It’s an unpopular opinion, as other Allen collaborators, like Greta Gerwig, continue to distance themselves from the director. In the past, Johansson has demurred when asked about the controversy surrounding the director, telling The Guardian in 2014 that she was “unaware that there’s been a backlash.” But this time, she pulled no punches. “I see Woody whenever I can, and I have had a lot of conversations with him about it,” she continued. “I have been very direct with him, and he’s very direct with me. He maintains his innocence, and I believe him.”
Throughout the #MeToo movement, Woody Allen has face renewed scrutiny, as sexual-molestation accusations made against him by his adopted daughter Dylan Farrow reemerged. Actors distanced themselves from him and Amazon returned the rights to his latest film, A Rainy Day in New York. The film’s stars Selena Gomez, Timothée Chalamet, and Rebecca Hall donated their salaries. (The film was picked up by Italian distributor Lucky Red and will be shown in theaters across Europe.) As the culture shifts to believing victims, Johansson finds her situation difficult. “It’s hard because it’s a time where people are very fired up, and understandably,” she said. “Things needed to be stirred up, and so people have a lot of passion and a lot of strong feelings and are angry, and rightfully so. It’s an intense time.”
