Alec Baldwin is still defending embattled director Woody Allen. Earlier this month, Baldwin wrote that it’s “unfair” that Hollywood has turned its back on Allen, who has been accused of sexual misconduct by his adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow. On Sunday, Baldwin stood behind his statement while adding a head-scratching literary analogy, comparing Farrow to the character Mayella Ewell from Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird.
As the Daily Dot points out, Ewell is one of the most famous false rape accusers in literature. In the book, the young white girl accuses a black character named Tom Robinson of rape after he refuses her romantic advances. Baldwin seems to ignore the racial dynamics of his allusion, and focuses on comparing Farrow to the fictional character. “Like Mayella in [To Kill aMockingbird], her tears/exhortations r meant 2 shame u in 2 belief in her story,” Baldwin tweeted. “But I need more than that before I destroy some1, regardless of their fame.”
Baldwin also pointed out inconsistencies between Allen’s children and their relationship with the director. Mia Farrow and Allen’s adopted son Moses has often claimed that he believes in his father’s innocence, while Mia, Dylan, and Ronan Farrow maintain that Allen molested Dylan when she was 7-years-old. Of course this really isn’t a valid argument. Moses can believe in his father's innocence but that doesn't mean Mia and Dylan Farrow are lying. Baldwin's take simply lack the nuance required to tackle something this complex.
Farrow responded to Baldwin's tweets in a statement shared with The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s interesting that Mr. Baldwin chooses to dismiss the judgments of Justice Wilk and Prosecutor Frank Maco, who reviewed ALL of the evidence instead of just selected bits and pieces,” Farrow said. “However, considering that Mr. Baldwin confidently invoked Mayella Ewell to make his point while forgetting that it’s been hotly debated that she was, in fact, raped by her father, demonstrates that perhaps Baldwin is just not a stickler for details.”
Baldwin's pro-Allen position is increasingly unpopular in an industry that has quickly turned on the legendary director in the wake of the #metoo movement. The actor suggested fans should unfollow him on Twitter if they don’t like his comments. Meanwhile, Hollywood continues to come forward and speak out against Allen. Greta Gerwig and Mira Sorvino expressed their regret for working with him, while Timothee Chalamet is donating the salary he made for starring in Allen's upcoming film, A Rainy Day in New York, to the Time's Up Legal Defense Fund. In fact, the film's very future is in question after rumors emerged that Amazon is considering dumping it altogether.
