Javier Bardem says accusations against Woody Allen are ‘just gossip’ until he is ‘proven to be guilty’

‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona’ star has defended the director before

Javier Bardem has doubled down on his defence of Woody Allen over the accusations of child sexual abuse made against the director.

The filmmaker’s adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow, has accused Allen of molesting her when she was a child. Allen has categorically denied the allegations, which Farrow first made in 1992 when she was seven years old.

In the wake of the #MeToo movement, Allen – who was cleared by two investigations in the Nineties – faced renewed criticism over the allegations.

In 2018, Bardem, who starred in Allen’s 2008 film Vicky Cristina Barcelona, said he was “absolutely not” ashamed to have worked with the director, adding that he was “shocked” by how Allen had been treated in the media.

“If there was evidence that Woody Allen was guilty, then yes, I would have stopped working with him, but I have doubts,” he said at the time.

In a new interview with The Guardian, Bardem said: “Pointing fingers at someone is very dangerous if it hasn’t been legally proven. Beyond that, it’s just gossip.”

When asked about the fact that Bardem’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona co-star Rebecca Hall had denounced Allen, Bardem said: “To tell you the truth, I don’t follow any of that, what people said. I try to go where logic dictates, which is: let’s follow the rules that exist to establish whether someone is guilty or innocent.

“If the case re-opens and he is proven to be guilty, I will be the first to say: ‘What a horrible thing.’ But so far, I haven’t seen that.”

Dylan Farrow in HBO’s documentary Allen v Farrow (HBO/HBO Max)

Bardem fell in love with his wife, the actor Penélope Cruz, on the set of Vicky Cristina Barcelona. He said in the new interview that he “credits” Allen with bringing them together.

Bardem can next be seen as the Cuban-American actor Desi Arnaz in his new film Being the Ricardos, opposite Nicole Kidman’s Lucille Ball. The film is out in UK cinemas now.

If you have been raped or sexually assaulted, you can contact your nearest Rape Crisis organisation for specialist, independent and confidential support. For more information, visit their website here.