James Woods denies ‘picking up’ Amber Tamblyn when she was 16 years old

Hollywood star James Woods has rejected accusations that he tried to "pick up" an actress when she was 16.

The 70-year-old film veteran has described Amber Tamblyn’s account of him trying to pick her up "a lie".

Tamblyn had claimed she was at a restaurant when she approached by Woods. She says she told him she was 16, and he allegedly replied: "Even better."

The spat began on Twitter on Tuesday, when Woods was commenting about the gay romance film Call Me By Your Name, the story of a 24-year-old man who falls in love with a 17-year-old boy.

Woods had criticised the film on Twitter, writing: "As they quietly chip away at the last barriers of decency. #NAMBLA."

The hashtag refers to the North American Man/Boy Love Association – an organisation which seeks to abolish age-of-consent laws in the US.

Actor Armie Hammer, who plays the older character in the film, responded to Woods on Twitter by saying: "Didn’t you date a 19 year old when you were 60…….?"

Woods did not respond, but actress Amber Tamblyn stepped in and tweeted: "James Woods tried to pick me and my friend up at a restaurant once. He wanted to take us to Vegas. ‘I’m 16’ I said. ‘Even better’ he said."

Again, the actor did not respond directly to the allegations, but did respond to a question by someone on Twitter.

They wrote to Woods: "What makes a 24yo/17yo gay relationship inherently indecent but skeevy old guys trying to pick up a pair of 16 year old girls is okay?"

The actor replied: "The first is illegal. The second is a lie."

Following the spat, Woods wrote: "Somebody told me the libs are yelping.

"Troll traffic is up. I don’t pay any attention really. I like Armie Hammer as an actor though. A lot."

When asked by another fan about Tamblyn’s accusation, Woods said: "I think maybe she should stick to ‘feminist poetry.’ Fiction isn’t her forte."

(c) Sky News 2017: James Woods denies ‘picking up’ Amber Tamblyn when she was 16 years old