Donating salaries from Woody Allen: Too little too late?

Woody Allen (CNNTurk.com, 2016)

We've seen what's happened to Kevin Spacey and others exposed as a result of the Weinstein scandal, but the shift in public consciousness has turned attention back to those with previous accusations too. In December, Dylan Farrow wrote in the LA Times asking why Woody Allen, her stepfather who she accused of sexually assaulting her in 1992, was being spared from the #MeToo campaign. Last month Timothée Chalamet, recent break-out and Oscar-nominee for Call Me By Your Name, was one of many to donate his salary for Allen's most recent film to charities.

Dylan Farrow on the allegations (CBS This Morning, 2018)

Allen's case is a complex one. As Bret Stephens points out in his recent piece for the New York Times, the allegations are for a situation which has already been investigated - while the state attorney had probable cause to press charges against Allen, he wanted to spare Dylan Farrow, who was seven at the time, from an exhausting trial.

The whole point of #MeToo was to show the extent of sexual harassment across the world, which it did with remarkable success. However, Farrow's allegations were already known long before this scandal broke. It is of course important to recognise previously known instances of abuse as part of the campaign, but the actors who have worked with Allen and are now donating their salaries would have been aware of Farrow's allegations long before the scandal broke. So why the sudden change of heart?

Allen directing Chalamet in September 2017 (CNN.com, 2018)

We're reaching a stage where public opinion is dictating these decisions rather than moral choice. Timothée Chalamet blames being young for his choice to work with Allen despite the allegations, conveniently growing a moral compass for his work at the time when both he and the allegations towards Allen are in the public eye, and when he's running an Oscar campaign for Best Actor.

The worrying fact is that these people only now regret working with Allen because to work with him is no longer within popular public opinion. If they had worked with him and they had gained acclaim and award nominations as a result, as happened with the first few films after the initial allegations (Dianne Wiest won Best Supporting Actress for Bullets Over Broadway in 1994 and the film was nominated for another six; Mira Sorvino won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar and Golden Globe for Mighty Aphrodite, 1995), they would not be denouncing him.

It is understandable that people want to distance themselves from names who have been exposed as part of the scandal as these are new revelations. But to distance yourself from someone whose past you must be fully aware of as a result of public opinion and a desire to cling onto popularity seems shallow and cowardly. Follow Diane Keaton's lead: decide what you think and stick to it.

Let me know what you think in the comments - how have your opinions about celebrities changed in light of how they've responded to the scandal? Do you think public opinion is overwhelming court proceedings, or is social media helping the conversation? Feel free to share!

Read more:
- What actors have said about working with Woody Allen - Vice
- Esquire on Woody Allen allegations getting the attention they deserve
- Facts of the Woody Allen case - Vanity Fair

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