Cate Blanchett’s Oscar Controversy: Will She Thank Woody Allen?
Woody Allen’s name has been all over awards season but that’s for several reasons. One being that Allen was honored at the Golden Globes when Diane Keaton went up to accept his Cecil B. DeMille award that honored his achievements in cinema, all the while talking about how his films are a frontier for women in the arts. While Keaton’s speech was going on, a storm was brewing on Twitter with the Farrows, who brought up the 1992 allegation that Woody Allen molested Dylan Farrow, who is the adoptive daughter of Mia Farrow and Allen.
Throughout award season the star of Woody Allen’s latest film Blue Jasmine has won every lead actress award thus far. While many expected Cate Blanchett to rack up the accolades, now there’s a different rather uncomfortable undertone to her wins. Following the accusations coming to light again, Blanchett has been placed in a difficult position in the media.
When asked about her opinion on the Woody Allen molestation charges, she said:
“It’s obviously been a long and painful situation for the family. I hope they find some resolution and peace.”
In Dylan Farrow’s original open letter she addressed how she was puzzled that people could still celebrate her father’s work while Allen goes unpunished.
“What if it had been your child, Cate Blanchett? Louis CK? Alec Baldwin? What if it had been you, Emma Stone? Or you, Scarlett Johansson? You knew me when I was a little girl, Diane Keaton. Have you forgotten me? “Woody Allen is a living testament to the way our society fails the survivors of sexual assault and abuse.”
Because of this whirlwind that has encircled the Farrows and Woody Allen, there are those who are now putting the spotlight on Cate Blanchett and what will go down on Oscar night. Some are wondering if the actress will thank director Woody Allen. For the ceremonies prior to the media blitz Blanchett had kind words to say for Allen. However once these allegations came to light, she hasn’t thanked Woody Allen since. Blanchett received an award at the Santa Barbara Film Festival and nowhere in her speech did she mention Woody Allen.
Susan Wloszczyna from IndieWire briefly discussed the weight Dylan Farrow’s letter might have over Blanchett in terms of her win.
“The fact that this has happened and specifically that Dylan’s letter basically calls her out, does that implicate her? Is she guilty by association? You have to step back and think, OK, she herself has never been known for scandal. The Oscars are still a little less than a month away. I think she’s the anointed one this year and it’s going to take a lot more for the voters to change their minds than a statement in the New York Times.”
In terms of picking sides she notes how Blanchett subtlety dealt with Allen’s scandal:
“She didn’t just say ‘no comment’ and walk away. She made it about the family and concerns about them. She didn’t run away. She didn’t hide from these things that affected her personally and professionally, which speaks very highly of her. She just faced it head on.”
Cate Blanchett is poised to win the Oscar for Best Actress in a Motion Picture. Will she thank Woody Allen? There’s only one way to find out.
