Sean Penn is skeptical of the sexual assault allegations towards his Candy and Lowdown director, Woody Allen.

When requested point-blank if he would be open to working with the controversial filmmaker sooner or later, the Oscar-winner did not hesitate with his response.

“I would work with him in a heartbeat,” Penn mentioned throughout a go to to The Louis Theroux Podcast. “If it was the fitting [project].”

The actor went on to say that he stands by the 89-year-old filmmaker, who has lengthy been accused of sexual abuse by his daughter, Dylan Farrow, when she was a youngster (he has repeatedly denied Farrow’s claims).

“Do I feel he has a dangerous rap? With these items, I do not know anybody effectively sufficient to say 100% this did not occur, that did not occur,” Penn mentioned. “The tales are largely informed by folks that I would not belief with a dime. It simply appears so closely weighted in that means.”

Theroux pushed again, asking, “You are speaking usually, proper? Or, not particularly about Woody Allen? As a result of with the Woody Allen scenario, it was primarily his estranged daughter but in addition his son, Ronan Farrow, the journalist.”

“Properly, you gave him that title, not me,” Penn mentioned of Farrow. 

“I feel he’s fairly revered, writes for the New Yorker,” Theroux countered.

“I perceive that,” Penn replied. “Put it this manner: I’m not conscious — and possibly I am simply an ignoramus, that is a risk — I’m not conscious of any scientific psychologist or psychiatrist or anybody I’ve ever heard speak or spoken to across the topic of pedophilia that in 80 years of life, there’s accusations of it taking place solely as soon as. I am not conscious of that.”

He added, “And when folks attempt to affiliate what had been his, as an example, a lot youthful girlfriends, proper or incorrect is just not the dialog right here. Publish-puberty, consensual stuff is to me a totally different dialog.” 

After expressing additional skepticism of the allegations towards Allen, Penn concluded, “Let’s simply take a second. That is all I am saying. I see he’s not confirmed responsible, so I take him as harmless, and I would work with him in a heartbeat.”

The 89-year-old filmmaker has turn into a controversial determine within the business amid renewed scrutiny of Dylan Farrow’s longstanding sexual assault allegation towards him. In 1992, Allen’s ex Mia Farrow publicly alleged that he molested their 7-year-old adopted daughter, Dylan. The accusation got here some months after Farrow found that Allen had entered into a relationship with her 21-year-old adopted daughter, Quickly-Yi Previn.

Dylan reiterated the allegations herself in 2013. In 2021, Mia, Ronan and Dylan participated within the documentary Allen v. Farrow, wherein Dylan informed her story publicly and in full for the primary time. Allen has persistently denied the allegations towards him and has by no means been charged with a crime (although a Connecticut prosecutor mentioned there was probable cause for a criminal case). 

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The persevering with controversy gained renewed consideration within the wake of the Me Too motion and has prompted remark from many stars of Allen’s movies. Some have come to Allen’s protection, like Penn, Scarlett Johansson (“I imagine him”), Gina Gershon (“He is a genius”), and Diane Keaton (“I proceed to imagine him”), whereas different have denounced him, together with Greta Gerwig (“I can’t work for him again”) and Kate Winslet (“It is f—ing disgraceful”).