Woody Allen addresses rape joke
Fox 411: Comedian says he doesn't care about Cannes jab, controversy
Woody Allen’s upcoming movie contains some awkward scenes involving an older man having sex with young starlets, considering the current firestorm about sexual misconduct sparked by the Harvey Weinstein scandal.
We’re told that a plotline in the untitled Allen flick, which is currently filming in New York, centers around a middle-aged man who is sleeping with a much younger woman, among other actresses, and, according to the script, “makes a fool of himself over every ambitious starlet and model.”
In scenes just filmed, a character played by Rebecca Hall accuses 44-year-old actor Jude Law’s character of having sex with a 15-year-old “concubine.”
In the scene, the so-called concubine — played by Elle Fanning (19 in real life) — acknowledges her relationship with Law’s much-older character, but then protests that she is 21 years old. After a discussion about his infidelity, Fanning’s character then asks Law, “Were all these women for pleasure, or were you researching a project?”
The film also stars Selena Gomez, Liev Schreiber, Suki Waterhouse and Kelly Rohrbach.
The plot seems perversely timed, given the mounting allegations of sexual harassment and rape against Weinstein. In a further poignant play — since Allen has faced his own allegations of sexual misconduct (which he has strenuously denied) — the director himself recently became entangled in the Weinstein scandal.
Last week, he drew criticism when he said that it was “tragic for the poor women that were involved” and “sad for Harvey that his life is so messed up,” but warned against starting a “witch-hunt atmosphere” in Hollywood, where “every guy in an office who winks at a woman is suddenly having to call a lawyer to defend himself.”
This is all very close to home for Allen.
His son Ronan Farrow was the journalist behind the New Yorker’s explosive Weinstein exposé.
Allen later released a statement saying of his strange comment, “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 reps didn’t respond.
This article originally appeared on Page Six.
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