This was published 6 years ago
Social media is 'not judge and jury': Blanchett addresses Allen accusations
By Robert Moran
Cate Blanchett has hit back at criticism she's "stayed silent" on abuse accusations against Woody Allen, adding she'd support a court case if the allegations needed to be re-examined.
"I don't think I've stayed silent at all," Blanchett – who won an acting Oscar in 2014 for Allen's Blue Jasmine – told CNN's Christiane Amanpour on Thursday.
"At the time I worked with Woody Allen, I knew nothing of the allegations... [which] came out at the time the film was released," she said.
"At the time I said it's a very painful and complicated situation for the family, which I hope they have the ability to resolve."
Cate Blanchett has opened up on allegations against Woody Allen.Credit: AP
Dylan Farrow has accused Allen, her adoptive father, of sexually abusing her as a 7-year-old in 1992. Child welfare investigators and a Yale-New Haven Hospital report at the time found no evidence of abuse.
In recent months, as the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements have gained momentum in Hollywood, Farrow publicly called out stars who've worked with Allen – including Blanchett, whose support of #TimesUp Farrow labelled "oxymoronic".
In light of Farrow's renewed campaign, a number of Allen's collaborators – including stars Michael Caine, Mira Sorvino, Greta Gerwig, Peter Sarsgaard and Timothee Chalamet – distanced themselves from the filmmaker, saying they'd never work with him again, with some even donating their paycheques to anti-abuse campaigns.
Blanchett on CNN with Christiane Amanpour.
Speaking with CNN, Blanchett adopted a more cautious tone.
"If these allegations need to be re-examined – which, in my understanding they've been through court – then I'm a big believer in the justice system and setting legal precedence," she told Amanpour.
"Social media is fantastic about raising awareness about issues, but it's not the judge and jury.
"I feel these things need to go into court – so if these abuses have happened, the person is prosecuted so someone who is not in the shiny industry I am can use that legal precedent to protect themselves," she said.
The Allen comments were an uncomfortable sidebar to a segment focusing on Blanchett's work as a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador.
In the interview, the actress – who recently returned from visiting Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh (she described Aung San Suu Kyi’s stance on the crisis as "bewildering") – blasted Australia's own refugee policy.
"Turning back boats has not worked. The policy of mandatory, ongoing offshore detention is inhumane and must be stopped," she said.
"The Australia I grew up in, colonial invasion notwithstanding, was incredibly supportive and welcoming of waves of refugees. And those refugees have played an enormous positive benefit to us economically and culturally and socially, so I don't understand it at all," she added.
Blanchett – who in May will take her seat as Cannes' jury president, just the 12th woman to do so since the festival launched in 1946 – will next be seen in the all-women Ocean's 8, due in cinemas in June.