In wake of this year's sexual harassment and assault scandals, people have been more vigilant than ever in regards to the things they say, and the people who they lend their support to. Only last week, actor Matt Damon was lambasted by Alyssa Milano who felt compelled to pen an open letter to address his highly controversial comments about the recent scandals surrounding sexual misconduct in the entertainment industry.
The 47-year-old actor defended the now-disgraced comedian Louis CK, who has been accused of masturbating in front of several non-consenting women. He stated, "I imagine the price that he’s paid at this point is so beyond anything that he—I just think that we have to kind of start delineating between what these behaviours are."
This kind of unwavering support of an accused sex pest further prizes the perpetrator's narrative over that of their victims, who have already been silenced for too long. And while Damon's comments are disappointing, I think we were all more upset upon hearing that Kate Winslet had also done something similar. The Revolutionary Road actress passionately praised Woody Allen in a recent interview, a figure whose sexual assault allegations date back to 1992.
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Over the weekend,
Margot Robbie proved that she's a force to be reckoned with due to her perfect response to Kate Winslet praising Woody Allen.
Speaking at The Envelope roundtable, hosted by the Los Angeles Times, Winslet asserted "Woody Allen is an extraordinary writer", referring to her latest motion picture, Wonder Wheel, which was written and directed by Allen.
She continued, "He’s obviously known for having created extraordinary roles, very very powerful and complicated roles for women, for many many years". Upon hearing where exactly the conversation was headed, Robbie, who was seated next to Winslet quickly turned stony faced.
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Jessica Chastain and Saoirse Ronan, who were also present on the the roundtable, also made it clear that they were unimpressed by Winslet's admiration of the director.
Allen was accused of sexual assault by his adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow, back in 1992 when she was seven years old. In 2014, Dylan spoke out about her experiences with her adoptive father in a New York Times essay. She wrote:
"When I was seven years old, Woody Allen took me by the hand and led me into a dim, closet-like attic on the second floor of our house.
"He told me to lay on my stomach and play with my brother’s electric train set. Then he sexually assaulted me. He talked to me while he did it, whispering that I was a good girl, that this was our secret, promising that we’d go to Paris and I’d be a star in his movies."
She recently responded to Allen's new film on Twitter, asserting that she hopes that the #MeToo movement will finally open the eyes of actors and actresses, who have historically turned a blind eye to Allen's transgressions. She stated:
"Today Woody Allen releases another film nationwide. People like @jtimberlake, @JimBelushi, #KateWinslet, and others will promote it and praise him for it. Today I will be triggered by every movie ad, every review, every mention of the man who stole my childhood from me. There are many others like me who are continually revictimized when they are disbelieved, or just outright ignored, because the truth is too inconvenient to accept, too difficult to deal with. When we enable powerful predators, in every walk of life, we are willing accomplices in the continued harm inflicted on their victims. We are complicit."
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While it's disappointing that Kate Winslet didn't catch herself sooner, we can only hope that her fellow actresses thoroughly schooled her after the segment was over.