Samantha Morton says working with Woody Allen 'changed my life' and she has 'no regrets'
Since the historic allegations of sexual abuse reemerged around Woody Allen in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal, some actors who have worked with the director have sought to distance themselves from him.
Not Samantha Morton, however, who in an a profile with Vanity Fair has said that her experience was nothing but positive, and that working with him changed her life.
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Morton was 22 when she starred in the movie Sweet and Lowdown in 1999, loosely based on Fellini's classic La Strada, and which also featured Sean Penn and Uma Thurman.
“I don't have any regrets,” Morton said. “I’m terribly sorry for the situation that is publicly known.
“It’s heartbreaking. I was sexually abused. Some of the people that hurt me can’t be brought to justice for complications of time. I have full sympathy for anybody who says that happens to them, and it needs to be taken incredibly seriously.
“But if I look back at the situation that I was in, where I was working for a director who was kind, funny and wonderful to work with... it changed my life. And I’m forever grateful for that.”
“I can’t now go back [and change anything]... It’s such a funny world we live in now. I’m still learning to navigate it all.”
Morton revealed in 2014 that she was sexually abused while growing up in the foster care system, and though she reported the abuse to police, no action was taken.
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Allen was accused of the sexual abuse of his daughter Dylan Farrow, accusations he has long denied and which were dismissed by New York State prosecutors and the New York Child Welfare Agency in 1993.
However, Dylan Farrow reiterated her claims in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal, in which dozens of actresses accused the producer of sexual assaults, rape and harassment.
The likes of Greta Gerwig, Rebecca Hall, Timothée Chalamet and Ellen Page have now said that they regret working with Allen, and in some cases have donated their wages to relevant causes.
However, others have been happy to publicly support the director, including Javier Bardem, who called his treatment a 'public lynching'.
“At the time I did Vicky Cristina Barcelona, the allegations were already well known for more than 10 years, and two states in the US deemed he was not guilty,” said Bardem.
“If the legal situation ever changes, then I’d change my mind. But for now I don’t agree with the public lynching that he’s been receiving, and if Woody Allen called me to work with him again I’d be there tomorrow morning. He’s a genius.”
