Woody Allen faces growing backlash over abuse claims

WoodyAllen faced widening isolation yesterday over allegations that hemolested his daughter more than 25 years ago, after Colin Firth joinedthe list of actors saying he would not work with the director again.Allen’sestranged, adopted daughter Dylan Farrow has revived claims that hesexually assaulted her as a seven-year-old in 1992, asking the world tofinally believe her as the sexual harassment watershed convulsesAmerica.On Thursday, Farrow aired her first television interview as82-year-old Allen hit back, accusing his ex-lover’s family of“cynically” exploiting the Time’s Up movement to repeat “discredited”allegations.After the interview broadcast, Oscar-winning Firthbecame the latest actor and arguably the most high-profile to publiclyrebuke Allen, telling the Guardian newspaper: “I wouldn’t work with himagain.”Firth starred in Allen’s 2014 film Magic in the Moonlight,shot before Farrow detailed the alleged abuse for the first time in herown words in an open letter published on a New York Times blog in 2014.Herclaim first surfaced in the midst of her parents’ bitter split, whenAllen left the actress Mia Farrow for her adoptive daughter from aprevious marriage, Soon-Yi Previn, 21 years old at the time.Allen —the director of more than 50 movies, a four-times Oscar winner andshowered with awards in Europe — has always denied the allegations,which have never been proven.He continues to enjoy a glittering career and remains married to Soon-Yi.Butthe sexual harassment firestorm that has brought down Hollywood titanssuch as Harvey Weinstein, has seen many reassess Farrow’s claims and hasfuelled a growing backlash against Allen.In recent weeks, actressesincluding Greta Gerwig, Rebecca Hall, Ellen Page and Mira Sorvino, haveannounced they regret working with Allen.Oscar-winner Natalie Portman also told Oprah Winfrey in a televised interview with other actresses that she believed Farrow.“He’slying and he’s been lying for so long,” Farrow told CBS This Morning inthe interview, breaking down into tears when watching a clip of Allendenying the alleged assault.Now a 32-year-old married mother of a young girl, Farrow said in retrospect she wished the case had gone to trial.“Honestly, yes. I do wish that they had,” she told CBS.AConnecticut state prosecutor at the time found probable cause to chargeAllen but thought Farrow too fragile to face a celebrity trial.Allensaid the alleged molestation had been “thoroughly investigated” by theChild Sexual Abuse Clinic of the Yale-New Haven Hospital and New YorkState Child Welfare and that both “concluded that no molestation hadever taken place.”“Instead, they found it likely a vulnerable childhad been coached to tell the story by her angry mother during acontentious breakup,” he said.“What I don’t understand is how isthis crazy story of me being brainwashed and coached more believablethan what I’m saying about being sexually assaulted by my father?” hitback Farrow.