JAVIER BARDEM DEFENDS WOODY ALLEN

At a time when stars such as Ellen Page, Michael Caine and Greta Gerwig have said they would never work with Woody Allen again, Oscar-winning actor Javier Bardem has come to the filmmaker’s defense.

Bardem, who worked with Allen on 2008’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona, said in an interview with Paris Match magazine that he is “absolutely not” ashamed of starring in the film. “If there was evidence that he was guilty, then yes, I would’ve stopped working with him, but I have doubts,” he said.

After resurfaced allegations of sexual abuse made by Allen’s adopted daughter Dylan Farrow, a host of actors have spoken out about working with the filmmaker. “I’m very shocked by this sudden treatment,” Bardem said. “Judgments in the states of New York and Connecticut found him innocent. The legal situation today is the same as in 2007.” No charges were filed after Farrow accused him of molesting her when she was a child, something that Allen denies. Despite a state’s attorney saying he had “probable cause” to prosecute, Allen was never put on trial, a move intended to spare Farrow the trauma of a court appearance, the prosecutor said.

An op-ed from Farrow in December, criticising the hypocrisy of actors for keeping quiet over the alleged abuse from her father, led to more speaking out. “If I had known then what I know now, I would not have acted in the film,” Gerwig said in a discussion for the New York Times.

Bardem’s response comes after actor Alec Baldwin also defended Allen. “Woody Allen was investigated forensically by two states (NY and CT) and no charges were filed,” Baldwin tweeted. Actor Diane Keaton has also continued to support the filmmaker. “Woody Allen is my friend and I continue to believe him,” she tweeted in January.

Filmmaker Woody Allen is fighting allegations of sexual abuse made by his adopted daughter Dylan Farrow PHOTO: MARK MAINZ/AP

PHOTO: JOEL RYAN/ INVISION/AP