Woody Allen’s son Ronan Farrow hits out at plans to publish filmmaker’s memoirs

Woody Allen’s son and prominent journalist Ronan Farrow has hit out at his publisher over plans to release his father’s autobiography, saying it “shows a lack of ethics and compassion for victims of sexual abuse”.

Farrow, who is best known for his investigations into sex crimes and is credited as one of the reporters who triggered Harvey Weinstein‘s downfall, is a long-time and vocal critic of his filmmaker father.

His adopted sister Dylan Farrow has for years accused Allen of molesting her in the early 1990s, when she was seven.

Allen, 84, vehemently denies the allegations by his adopted daughter, and was not charged following two separate investigations. He has previously accused actress Mia Farrow, Dylan’s adoptive mother, of “exploiting” their daughter.

The four-time Oscar winner, best known for films including Annie Hall, Manhattan, Crimes And Misdemeanours and Vicky Cristina Barcelona, has largely been shunned by Hollywood since the rise of the #MeToo movement.

However, his memoir, titled Apropos Of Nothing, is now due to be released in the US in April by Grand Central Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Group.

Little, Brown And Company, another division of Hachette, worked with Farrow on his acclaimed book Catch And Kill, which explored how powerful men, including Weinstein, for a long time avoided punishment for sexual crimes.

In a post on Twitter referring to his father as “Woody Allen” throughout, Farrow hit out at the publisher for working with the director.

He accused them of not fact-checking, saying Dylan, 34, had not been contacted to respond to “any denial or mischaracterisation of the abuse she suffered at the hands” of Allen.

Her “credible” allegation has been “maintained for almost three decades, backed up by contemporaneous accounts and evidence”, he said.

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The 32-year-old added: “It’s wildly unprofessional in multiple obvious directions for Hachette to behave this way. But it also shows a lack of ethics and compassion for victims of sexual abuse, regardless of any personal connection or breach of trust here.

“I’ve encouraged Hachette, out of respect for its readers, authors and reputation, to conduct a thorough fact-check of Woody Allen’s account, in particular any claim that implies my sister is not telling the truth.

“I’ve also told Hachette that a publisher that would conduct itself in this way is one I can’t work with in good conscience.”

Dylan said the publishing of Allen’s book is “deeply upsetting” and an “utter betrayal” of her brother’s reporting.

Sky News has contacted both Grand Central Publishing and Little, Brown And Company for comment.

Many stars have said they will not work with Allen again in the wake of Weinstein’s downfall and the rise of the #MeToo movement.

However, some have defended the writer and director, with Scarlett Johansson – who has starred in three of his films – saying in 2019 that she believes him when he says he did not abuse his adopted daughter.

Johansson, who is active in women’s issues and was among early supporters of Time’s Up, told the Hollywood Reporter: “How do I feel about Woody Allen? I love Woody.

“I believe him, and I would work with him anytime.”

She continued: “I see Woody whenever I can, and I have had a lot of conversations with him about it. I have been very direct with him, and he’s very direct with me. He maintains his innocence, and I believe him.”

(c) Sky News 2020: Woody Allen’s son Ronan Farrow hits out at plans to publish filmmaker’s memoirs