Cate Blanchett attends the Museum of Modern Art's 8th Annual Film Benefit. Photo / Getty
Cate Blanchett attends the Museum of Modern Art's 8th Annual Film Benefit. Photo / Getty
Oscar-winning actress Cate Blanchett denies she's been silent about the sexual abuse claims plaguing Woody Allen.
Blanchett, who played the leading role in the Allen's 2013 film Blue Jasmine, has stated that she is in support of an investigation in to the claims made by Allen's daughter Dylan Farrow that he molestered her as a child, reports News.com.au.
Appearing on CNN's Amanpour on Wednesday, host Christiane Amanapour asked the 48-year-old: "How do you juxtapose being a #MeToo proponent, a Time's Up proponent, and staying silent or having worked with Woody Allen?"
Woody Allen in 1986 with Dylan, held by then partner Mia Farrow, and the rest of their family. Photo / Supplied
"I don't think I've stayed silent at all. At the time that I worked with Woody Allen, I knew nothing of the allegations," Blanchett responded.
"At the time, I said it's a very painful and complicated situation for the family, which I hope they have the ability to resolve."
"If these allegations need to be re-examined which, in my understanding, they've been through court, then I'm a big believer in the justice system and setting legal precedents. If the case needs to be reopened, I am absolutely, wholeheartedly in support of that," she continued.
Blanchett made it clear that social media is "not the judge and jury" when it comes to allegations of sexual harassment or sexual abuse.
Dylan Farrow called out Blanchett on her perceived hypocrisy. Photo / Supplied
"I feel that these things need to go into court, so if these abuses have happened, the person is prosecuted and so someone who is not in the shiny industry that I am [in] can use that legal precedent to protect themselves," she said.
"Always, in my industry or any other industry, they're preyed upon because they're vulnerable," she said.
Farrow, wrote an op-ed for The New York Times in 2014 accusing Allen of molesting her when she was a child, an allegation she and her mother (and Allen's ex), Mia Farrow, previously levied against the auteur in 1993.
New Woody Allen film 'Blue Jasmine' starring Cate Blanchett and Peter Sarsgaard. Photo / Supplied
Dylan, now 32, called out Blanchett in January for her perceived hypocrisy, replying to a New York Times Arts tweet that read, "Cate Blanchett, a vocal campaigner against sexual harassment, will lead this year's Cannes jury. It's seen as an about-face for a festival with a poor record on gender equality." Dylan retorted, "Can one be a 'vocal campaigner against sexual harassment' and a vocal supporter of Woody Allen? Seems a tad oxymoronic."
Still, Blanchett isn't alone in her refusal to renounce working with Allen.
Alec Baldwin and Diane Keaton have each openly supported the director recently, while Blake Lively, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, Justin Timberlake and Scarlett Johansson have yet to address their decisions to work with Allen while also advocating the Time's Up and #MeToo movements.
