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Blake Lively Calls Controversial Director Woody Allen ‘Very Empowering’

By Niki Cruz
Published on: 09:14 PST, Jun 30, 2016

Blake Lively recently opened up about what she thinks of controversial director Woody Allen, and some are surprised about what she’s saying. Woody Allen, who Lively worked with on the new film Cafe Society, usually draws a response no matter who it is, when his name is dropped into conversation, this is based on the press he has received due to his past.

For a refresher, Woody Allen married his pseudo step daughter, Soon Yi Previn, who he helped raise with then-wife Mia Farrow. If that wasn’t controversial enough, one of his biological children, Dylan Farrow, accused him of being sexually inappropriate with her. Many have made the argument that his work shouldn’t be celebrated or supported in response to these reports.

His son, Ronan Farrow, has slammed Hollywood for continuing to support his father despite the allegations in the press.

“Amazon paid millions to work with Woody Allen, bankrolling a new series and film. Actors, including some I admire greatly, continue to line up to star in his movies. ‘It’s not personal,’ one once told me. But it hurts my sister every time one of her heroes like Louis C.K., or a star her age, like Miley Cyrus, works with Woody Allen. Personal is exactly what it is — for my sister, and for women everywhere with allegations of sexual assault that have never been vindicated by a conviction.”

“Tonight, the Cannes Film Festival kicks off with a new Woody Allen film. There will be press conferences and a red-carpet walk by my father and his wife (my sister). He’ll have his stars at his side — Kristen Stewart, Blake Lively, Steve Carell, Jesse Eisenberg. They can trust that the press won’t ask them the tough questions. It’s not the time, it’s not the place, it’s just not done.”

Allen responded to his son’s comments and compared it to getting a bad movie review, he refuses to read any essay written about him, including whether or not it comes from a family member.

Still, Woody Allen still lives on as a famed director, and for the most part, most of his colleagues view him in a well respected light.

One of these supporters, who Farrow named, is Blake Lively, who has recently championed him. In an interview with Hamptons magazine, Lively said the following of working with Woody Allen.

“It’s really cool to work with a director who’s done so much, because he knows exactly what he wants. He also is really encouraging as to why he cast you.”

Lively continued.

“He’s very empowering.”

She goes on to describe his demeanor on set.

“[Woody] creates a very pleasant set where everybody’s just happy to be there and happy to be making a movie, and happy to be a part of film history. For him to have that confidence in you almost gives you the confidence in yourself to just go with the flow.”

During Cannes Film Festival, Lively was one of the people to stand up for Woody Allen, when the ceremony opened with a rape joke that was targeted at the famed director. At the time, she trashed the moment.

“I think any jokes about rape, homophobia or Hitler is not a joke. I think that was a hard thing swallow in 30 seconds. Film festivals are such a beautiful, respectful festivals of film and artists and to have that, it felt like it wouldn’t have happened if it was in the 1940s.”

[Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images]

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