Harvey Weinstein begs for quick retrial to get out of ‘hellhole’
Harvey Weinstein is seeking an earlier start to his sexual assault retrial, telling the judge, “I need to get out of this hellhole as quickly as possible.”
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Sean Penn says he’d work with Woody Allen despite child sexual abuse allegations levied at the famed director.
“I’d work with him in a heartbeat, if it was the right thing,” Penn said on the May 12 episode of “The Louis Theroux Podcast.” He received his second Oscar nomination for his work on Allen’s 1999 film “Sweet and Lowdown.”
During the podcast appearance, the two-time Oscar winner made a series of other controversial comments regarding Allen, seemingly attempting to sow doubt about Dylan Farrow’s claims that she was molested by her famous father.
“Do I think he has a bad rap? With these things, I don’t know anyone well enough to say 100% this didn’t happen or that didn’t happen,” Penn said.
The environmental activist continued, telling host Louis Theroux that “God forbid you’re wrong and there’s a victim involved in something, right? But boy, I find the stuff I know about … I’ve read everything, the stories are mostly told by people that I wouldn’t trust with a dime. It just seems so heavily weighted in that way.”
In 1992, the first allegations were made that Allen molested his daughter. The 2021 HBO documentary “Allen v. Farrow” shows home video footage of a 7-year-old Dylan Farrow making her claims on camera.
“You’re talking generally, right? Or, not specifically about Woody Allen?” Theroux asked the “Milk” star. “Because it was mainly his estranged daughter.” Then, Penn said, “daughter but also son” to which Theroux said, “Ronan Farrow the journalist.” Penn responded: “You gave him that title, not me.”
Prior to Allen’s 12-year-long relationship with Mia Farrow, she and ex-husband André Previn (the famous maestro) adopted Soon-Yi Previn. But later, in 1997, Allen married Soon-Yi Previn, who is 35 years his junior. Previn and Allen have remained together since.
Sean Penn slams Woody Allen’s estranged son and journalist Ronan Farrow
Ronan Farrow, Allen’s son with actress Mia Farrow, is a writer for The New Yorker who won a Pulitzer Prize in 2018 for his work that unraveled Harvey Weinstein’s predatory sexual abuse against women in Hollywood.
“I think he’s quite respected, writes for the New Yorker,” Theroux shot back. Penn said that “I understand that,” before telling Theroux, “Put it this way: I am not aware – and maybe I’m just an ignoramus, that’s a possibility – I am not aware of any clinical psychologist or psychiatrist or anyone I’ve ever heard talk or spoken to around the subject of pedophilia that in 80 years of life, there’s accusations of it happening only once. I’m not aware of that.”
“And when people try to associate what were his, let’s say, much younger girlfriends, right or wrong is not the conversation here. Post-puberty, consensual stuff is, to me, a different conversation,” Penn said.
Penn added, “Whatever is the worst of people’s suspicions about him, just check them with the facts separate from the moment and the movement and all who benefitted from that,” seemingly in reference to Farrow’s Pulitzer win and the overall #MeToo movement.
“Let’s just take a second. That’s all I’m saying. I see he’s not proven guilty, so I take him as innocent, and I would work with him in a heartbeat,” Penn told Theroux.
Contributing: Erin Jensen
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