Drew Barrymore admits to Dylan Farrow she regrets working with Woody Allen

Earlier this year, the documentary Allen v. Farrow (available to stream on Crave now) rocked Hollywood with its bare and sometimes graphic exploration into Woody Allen’s sexual abuse allegations made by his adoptive daughter Dylan Farrow, and the custody battle that ensued between Allen and Mia Farrow. Coming on the heels of the #MeToo and #TimesUp social justice movements that have seen powerful and abusive men in the entertainment industry (Harvey Weinstein, Matt Lauer, Kevin Spacey, Bill Cosby) exposed for their sexual misconduct, many in Hollywood have since begun to distance themselves from the alleged (or, in the case of Weinstein and Cosby, convicted) perpetrators.

Now, actress and talk show host Drew Barrymore is adding her name to the list of performers who regret working with the Annie Hall and Manhattan director. In Drew’s case, she decided to make that announcement directly to Dylan Farrow who on Monday was a guest on her show, The Drew Barrymore Show.

“I worked with Woody Allen,” Drew began, prefacing her interview with Dylan that explored Dylan’s new young adult novel Hush and her bravery in sharing her story for 20 years. “I did a film with him in 1996 called, Everyone Says I Love You, and there was no higher career calling card than to work with Woody Allen!”

“Then I had children,” she continued, “and it changed me because I realized that I was one of the people who was basically gaslit into not looking at a narrative beyond what I was being told. And I see what is happening in the industry now and that is because of you making that brave choice. So thank you for that.”

As explored in the documentary, directed by Amy Ziering and Kirby Dick, Dylan’s recounting of abuse at the hands of her father hasn’t changed in 20 years, and the documentary, which was independently created and produced without affiliation to either Allen or Farrow, showed original family home videos taken by Mia Farrow, recording her young daughter recalling the abuse in detail. There is a standing offer by the directors to Woody Allen to share his side of the story, something to date he has refrained from responding. As such, excerpts from Allen’s memoir Apropos of Nothing and the accompanying audiobook were used as voiceovers in the documentary.

Dylan was clearly moved by Drew’s admission, responding, “Hearing what you just said, I am trying not to cry right now. It is just so meaningful because it’s easy for me to say, ‘Of course you shouldn’t work with him; he’s a jerk, he’s a monster,’ but I just find it incredibly brave and incredibly generous that you would say to me that my story and what I went through was important enough to you to reconsider that.”

Since the #MetToo and #TimesUp movement, actors such as Kate Winslet, Greta Gerwig, Rebecca Hall, Rachel Brosnahan, Colin Firth, and Marion Cotillard have all expressed regret at working with Allen. However, Diane Keaton, Kristen Stewart, Selena Gomez, Blake Lively, and Alec Baldwin have either chosen to support Allen or have refused to answer directly to the question of remorse or regret.

Dylan also told Drew that the release of the documentary has brought her closer to her family, including her mother Mia and her many siblings, many of whom were featured in the documentary, even though they couldn’t watch the four-part series together because of the pandemic’s stay-at-home orders. Dylan and Mia’s relationship, she said specifically, has blossomed because of it.

“I would’ve loved to have been able to watch the series with her,” Dylan said to Drew. “At the time, that just wasn’t possible; we were in separate quarantine pods, unfortunately. I really heard everything from her after the fact. It was just a very strange pathway that we navigated separately and together, but I think it definitely changed a lot about how me and my mom relate to each other and interact with each other, and I think there’s a very renewed level of just respect, just woman to woman.”

BEFORE YOU GO: Kat Dennings engaged to rocker Andrew W.K.

[video_embed id='2202426']BEFORE YOU GO: Bella Hadid’s mac and cheese recipe has left fans horrified[/video_embed]