Cate Blanchett Opens Up About Woody Allen, Hollywood And Sexual Harass

Actress Cate Blanchett is an active advocate of the Time’s up campaign that rocked the Oscars this year and of late, she has been vocal about the scourge of sexual harassment in general. During a recent interview with Variety magazine, the actress opened up about the sexual harassment incidents that have been tainting the image of Hollywood lately. While accusing Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment against her, she described him as a "predator", who preys on the victims. As the conversation turned to Woody Allen, who was accused of harassment by his estranged stepdaughter, Dylan Farrow earlier this year, Blanchett seemed to have a less aggressive stance. While she thoughtfully took sides with Farrow and considered her experiences to be extremely difficult circumstances, she took an issue with the role of the social media when it comes to distorting and sensationalizing all information on sexual harassment. Blanchett has worked with Woody Allen in the 2013 movie, "Blue Jasmine", which earned her her second Oscar. She was all praise for the roles that Woody Allen has crafted for women and described her experience of working with him in positive terms. She is of the opinion that if Farrow’s allegations against her father are based on the truth, then the case should be tried in a court of law and be determined formally, rather than being based on "headlines" and "finger pointing". When Dylan Farrow brought up her allegations against her father for the first time in March, Blanchett was pressurized into taking a stance against Allen. In Hollywood right now, the general opinion is that if an actor is not vocally against sexual harassment than they are for it, there is so another way about it. Earlier this year, Blanchett was forced to take a stance by not just Hollywood in general but by Dylan Farrow herself. During that time, Blanchett subtly avoided taking any sides and said that all she desired was for these allegations to go through the courts while criticizing social media for its damaging role in manipulating such cases. However, her stance on Harvey Weinstein seems to be very clear as she accuses him of harassing her and making the experience of working with him extremely unbearable Many other notable names of Hollywood including Greta Gerwig, Natalie Portman, and Michael Caine have all stated that they would no longer be working with Woody Allen in any more projects. When questioned about her decision on working with him, Blanchett avoided giving straight answers but said that while she was working with Allen on "Blue Jasmine", she had a very "productive" time and would like the allegations to go through courts. But until that time, Blanchett is seemingly going to have a balanced approach instead of accusing someone from the industry when the case has not been fully followed through by the justice system. While the actress tried her best to avoid clearly defining her professional relationship with Woody Allen, her stark difference of opinion about Harvey Weinstein is making her dedication to the Time’s up campaign questionable. While we are all for a balanced approach when it comes to such controversial matters, what side Cate Blanchett takes on later, only time will. As a serious advocate for countering sexual harassment in Hollywood, her fans and supporters are awaiting her clear stance on Woody Allen and the allegations surrounding him.