Isn’t It Time to Stop Giving The Likes of Woody Allen and Casey Affleck Free Passes on Hollywood? [Opinion]

These two seemed to have been bullet-proof as the rise of awareness on these allegations continue.

Evan Agostini & Jordan Strauss / AP Images
Celebrities

Dylan Farrow’s allegation on Hollywood’s beloved Woody Allen has been publicized years ago, but even with the rise of awareness of the big names in the industry allegedly abusing women, Allen has been immune to these attacks. Additionally, Ben Affleck’s brother, Casey, also seemed to wear a protective vest as well.

So, the question is, will these two adored icons ever be held responsible for their actions?

Woody Allen’s Charm

Last week, Dylan Farrow personally wrote an editorial at Chicago Tribune calling out to the academy and their peers to stop ignoring allegations on Allen.

Farrow is one of the few who claimed Allen was a pedophile. In her narration, the actress stood firm on her statements regarding the incident that happened when she was seven years old. She said that at the time, Allen led her into an attic alone, away from her babysitters who were instructed to not leave her alone. Nonetheless, Allen allegedly got away with it and assaulted her.

Since she has been persistent about her story, it begs the question, why isn’t anyone paying attention? Is Woody Allen simply too talented, too charming to be dubbed a pedophile?

With Allen’s latest feature, Wonder Wheel, getting released by Amazon Studios last Dec. 1, Farrow asks why he is getting away with all of it.

Nuestro director favorito estuvo de cumpleaños este mes el 1 de Dic, y no le hicimos un homenaje por falta de tiempo, pero lo que queda vamos a recomendar todas nuestras películas favoritas. Empecemos por la película que me hizo enamorar de él, de Scarlett y de nuevo del cine. #Scoop #WoodyAllen

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The 82-year-old writer has denied all allegations, but as Farrow noted, it’s not a “he said, child said” type of case. There were witnesses in what Allen was doing with children and yet nobody cringed.

Allen’s pattern of inappropriate behavior — putting his thumb in my mouth, climbing into bed with me in his underwear, constant grooming and touching — was witnessed by friends and family members.

For Farrow, this is no longer an allegation, but a fact. The case was tried in court and there were key eyewitnesses, including a babysitter who saw Allen’s head “buried” in her lap “after he had taken off my underware.” The judge denied custody of Farrow to protect her from future harm.

However, even with all of these evidence, Farrow is still at war with her reputation. At large, nobody seemed to be siding with her. She called out Kate Winslet who stars on Allen’s latest film. When the Titanic actress was asked about Harvey Weinstein, she actively supported the victims for speaking out. However, when it came to Allen and Farrow’s case, she simply chose to not meddle since she “didn’t know anything about that family.” For Winslet, she can ignore Allen’s allegations, put them all aside and go to work with him the next day.

“Woody Allen is an incredible director,” Winslet said.

Farrow, on the other hand, thanked the actresses who supported her including Ellen Page, Susan Sarandon and Jessica Chastain.

In her plea, Farrow notes that taking down Allen would make for a good representation of victimized women in Hollywood as well as a warning for those who committed crimes. But so far, it still goes to show that men like Allen are still protected by their power and influence.

… Allen: the money and power deployed to make the simple complicated, to massage the story.

Casey: Under His Brother’s Super Cape?

Casey has just won another Oscar in his performance on Manchester by the Sea. It was also reported by Insider that he will be presenting the Best Actress award for Oscars 2018.

Affleck’s stay at the academy was telling on how influential the Affleck brothers are. Ben is promoting a key role in DC’s mega franchise and Casey is aiming at top awards by focusing on high quality indie films.

Still, the ironic move to choose Affleck after the academy dismissed Harvey Weinstein from its roster was inexplicable.

Even The Room actress Brie Larson, who’s a known feminist, was obviously aloof when she handed the award to Casey.

According to Marie Claire, Affleck’s 2010 sex allegations were prompted the women he worked with in the mockumentary, I’m Still Here. The women claimed that Casey did a lot of inappropriate behavior including flashing his genitals and forcing them to stay in his hotel room. There was also one incident where one of them just woke up with Casey in his underwear, touching her body.

Though there are skeptics, Marie Claire argues that it simply is not enough reason for a woman to lie just to be known as Casey’s sex victim. Quitting was also out of the question since most do not understand the power play that goes in Hollywood. One decision could make or break a career.

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With Casey’s case, Hollywood chose to ignore the warning signs yet again. It is possible, that even though Ben’s been clearing up his own allegations and releasing public apologies, that Casey’s dismissal would also cause Ben’s and for the industry, Ben’s just one of actors you don’t mess with.

It is possible that the academy is not afraid of removing Casey; they might be worried of the consequential ramifications that come with it because if Casey’s misdemeanor has been recognized, they will also need to acknowledge the fact that Ben is another maniac himself.

Still, with billions of dollars poured into Ben Affleck’s DC projects, will they really be able to push the brothers aside?

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