In one of the least surprising developments in the ongoing Harvey Weinstein scandal, multiple directors came forward to say Weinstein had blacklisted actresses who had rejected his advances. One of those actresses was the Oscar-winning Mira Sorvino, who has done some reflecting and joined several others in Hollywood who have publicly stated their regret for working with alleged abuser Woody Allen.
Days after a public statement from Allen’s daughter, Dylan Farrow (who alleged that Allen molested her when she was younger), Sorvino published an open letter apologizing to Farrow for working with Allen despite knowing about his alleged abusive behavior:
I confess that at the time I worked for Woody Allen I was a naive young actress. I swallowed the media’s portrayal of your abuse allegations against your father as an outgrowth of a twisted custody battle between Mia Farrow and him, and did not look further into the situation, for which I am terribly sorry. For this I also owe an apology to Mia.
Sorvino goes on to explain that she ignored the rumors surrounding Allen because she was a lifelong fan of his and was so excited to be in one of his films and did not want them to be true:
It is difficult to sever ties and denounce your heroes, your benefactors, whom you fondly admired and felt a debt of gratitude toward for your entire career’s existence. To decide, although they may be fantastically talented and helped you enormously, that you believe they have done things for which there can be no excuse. But that is where we stand today.
I am so sorry, Dylan! I cannot begin to imagine how you have felt, all these years as you watched someone you called out as having hurt you as a child, a vulnerable little girl in his care, be lauded again and again, including by me and countless others in Hollywood who praised him and ignored you. As a mother and a woman, this breaks my heart for you. I am so, so sorry!
In closing her letter, Sorvino adds that we can’t let anyone get away with this type of behavior anymore. She ends by calling Farrow a hero and stating conclusively that she believes her.
(Via Huffington Post)