Javier Bardem Defends Woody Allen Once Again: “I Don’t Agree With The Public Lynching”

The recent surge in people coming forward with stories of sexual assault and harassment has largely been due to the popularity of the #MeToo movement. However, while many of the stories that have emerged are new and about people that haven’t been previously accused, older allegations have again come to the surface. Particularly, directors Roman Polanski and Woody Allen have received quite a bit of pushback from people after their previous accusations and crimes have come back into the public eye, which has led to many collaborators cutting ties with the controversial figures. Javier Bardem, however, is not one of those people.

Speaking during a masterclass at the recent Lumiere Festival (via The Guardian), Bardem opened up, again, about his relationship with Woody Allen and why he doesn’t agree with the recent increase in public outrage against the acclaimed director. His argument echoes many who defend Allen — he was never found guilty of the sexual assault he was accused of by Dylan Farrow.

READ MORE: Woody Allen Reportedly Taking A Break From Filmmaking For The First Time In Decades

“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,” explained the actor.

He continued, “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.”

READ MORE: Woody Allen Says He Should Be A “Poster Boy” For #MeToo And Touts His “Wonderful Record” With Women

This isn’t the first time that Bardem has stepped up for Allen. Back in April, the actor said he was “absolutely not” ashamed of working with Allen, as Michael Caine, Timothée Chalamet, and Rebecca Hall have all voiced regret about participating in the filmmaker’s projects.

As for how this has all affected Allen’s career, the director’s latest project, as well as his deal with Amazon Studios, seems to be in permanent limbo. Reports recently surfaced that suggested that the legendary director is stepping back from filmmaking for a while as he is struggling to secure funding, which is normally never an issue.

Bardem can next be seen in “Everybody Knows,” which premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and will be released in early 2019.