Despite sexual assault allegations against him being public for decades now, Woody Allen is still on the defensive, constantly taking the time to discuss the scandals and profess his innocence. However, over the last couple of years, the allegations against him have renewed vigor, thanks to the #MeToo movement, resulting in the filmmaker being blacklisted by Hollywood, as he struggles to find financing and distribution for his films, including his most recent, “A Rainy Day in New York.”
In a new interview with the Daily Mail, the filmmaker once again defended himself against what he calls “a false allegation” and said that he’ll continue to make movies because he’s still looking for his first “great film.”
“Of course I am aware I am the subject of gossip and scandal, but I cannot let it bother me,” said Allen about the sexual assault allegations against him. “I live my life. I work. I play jazz. I watch sports. I see my friends. I don’t look up and I don’t read anything. It was a false allegation but a great tabloid drama.”
The filmmaker is also well aware that he’s no longer part of the group of creators in Hollywood that can easily find funding and distribution for features. And in response to this recent situation, Allen isn’t worried, as he never felt part of a special group in Hollywood, anyway.
“I have never been part of the club in Hollywood,” Allen said. “I don’t go to parties. I don’t care about the box office or awards. Winning an Oscar for me has very little meaning beyond the practical. The first film I wrote, ‘What’s New Pussycat?’ was incredibly successful but it was a pile of junk and an embarrassment to me.”
He continued, “I still don’t feel I’ve made a great movie like Federico Fellini or Ingmar Bergman, nothing like ‘The Seventh Seal’ or ‘The Bicycle Thief.’ I won’t stop trying because although I’ve been reasonably successful I have never satisfied myself artistically. You don’t make a movie to win an award. Mozart never composed a symphony thinking about a trophy. If I get a chance and the virus abates, maybe before I die there is always the chance I will make a great film. But I haven’t done that yet.”
As for the future and the current state of the world, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the filmmaker says he’s content.
“I am happy in my marriage. I am happy with my family but you can never be happy on this planet,” he said. “We are dumped into a bad situation. Human existence is precarious, terrifying, and pointless. And so I carry on… What else is there to do?”
“A Rainy Day in New York” still doesn’t have distribution in the US and is opening in the UK next month, after playing various European regions over the last year.