Mira Sorvino’s Apology For Working With Woody Allen Shows We’re At A Major Turning Point

In a letter published Wednesday by the Huffington Post, Mira Sorvino apologized to Dylan Farrow for working with Woody Allen. "I apologize for this being the first time I address you in print, what will be the first of several apologies today," Sorvino writes in her letter. "I am writing to express my belief in and support of you."

In a February 2014 open letter published in the New York Times, Farrow accused Allen of sexually assaulting her when she was only seven years old. Allen adopted Farrow in 1991, while he was in a longterm relationship with her mother, Mia Farrow, who adopted her daughter in 1985. Allen has denied Farrow's allegations.

Sorvino worked with Allen in 1995's Mighty Aphrodite, which earned her an Academy Award in the Best Supporting Actress category. "I confess that at the time I worked for Woody Allen I was a naive young actress," Sorvino writes. "I swallowed the media’s portrayal of your abuse allegations against your father as an outgrowth of a twisted custody battle between Mia Farrow and him, and did not look further into the situation, for which I am terribly sorry. For this I also owe an apology to Mia."

The 50-year-old actor made it clear that she never experienced "inappropriate behavior" at the hands of Allen. That said, she tells Farrow, "But this does not excuse my turning a blind eye to your story simply because I wanted desperately for it not to be so." She also vows, "I will never work with him again," in addition to stating, "This kind of abuse cannot be allowed to continue. If this means tearing down all the old gods, so be it."

Near the conclusion of her letter, Sorvino apologizes once again, praises Farrow for her "courage", and says, "I am grateful to you and admire your integrity and bravery, one woman who has had to stand virtually alone all these years speaking her painful truth. You are a true hero, and I stand with you."

In October 2017, Sorvino spoke with Farrow's brother, Ronan Farrow, in an exposé about Harvey Weinstein for The New Yorker. In it, Sorvino alleged Weinstein sexually harassed her and tried to ruin her career. Weinstein has denied all claims of "non-consensual sex" and denied "any acts of retaliation against any women for refusing his advances." Sorvino mentions Ronan in her letter to Farrow and tells her, "... I told [Ronan Rarrow] I wanted to learn more about you and your situation. He pointed me toward publicly available details of the case I had ruefully never known of, which made me begin to feel the evidence strongly supported your story. That you have been telling the truth all along."

On Twitter Thursday, Farrow responded to Sorvino and tweeted, "I am overwhelmed and my gratitude to you cannot be expressed sufficiently in words. This letter is beautiful and I will carry your words with me. Your courage has been boundless and your activism an example for us all. From the bottom of my heart, thank you." Soon after, Sorvino replied, "Thank you @realdylanfarrow I am so deeply happy that you felt good about it."

The Oscar-winning actor addressing Farrow directly is major. For a long time, those who have worked with Allen have rarely addressed the allegations that have been made against him. It's something that has rightfully affected Farrow. After the 2018 Golden Globes, she spoke about the hypocrisy of Hollywood and the celebrities who support Time's Up, an initiative supporting victims of sexual misconduct, but have worked with or continue to work with Allen and haven't spoken out against him.

In a statement given to BuzzFeed, 32-year-old Farrow said, "That said, the people who join this movement without taking any kind of personal accountability for the ways in which their own words and decisions have helped to perpetuate the culture they are fighting against, that’s hard for me to reconcile." She also said, "It’s of course particularly hard for me as a survivor of sexual abuse to know that for these particular individuals I am not part of the 'every woman' they stand for. I seem to remain secondary to their ambition, which undermines the powerful and embracing message they are trying to send."

Now, it seems like some celebrities are listening and making a change when it comes to Allen. In addition to Sorvino, Greta Gerwig said she'll never work with Allen again. They worked together on the 2012 film To Rome With Love. In a Jan. 9 interview with the New York Times, she said, "If I had known then what I know now, I would not have acted in the film. I have not worked for him again, and I will not work for him again." She then added, "Dylan Farrow's two different pieces made me realize that I increased another woman's pain, and I was heartbroken by that realization."

Ellen Page, who also worked with Allen in To Rome With Love, said in a November 2017 Facebook post that she regretted working with the director. "I did a Woody Allen movie and it is the biggest regret of my career." She added, "I am ashamed I did this. I had yet to find my voice and was not who I am now and felt pressured, because 'of course you have to say yes to this Woody Allen film.' Ultimately, however, it is my choice what films I decide to do and I made the wrong choice. I made an awful mistake."

The same can be said of actor David Krumholtz, who stars in Allen's most recent film, Wonder Wheel, with Justin Timberlake and Kate Winslet. "I deeply regret working with Woody Allen on Wonder Wheel," he tweeted on Jan. 5. "It's one of my most heartbreaking mistakes. We can no longer let these men represent us in entertainment, politics, or any other realm. They are beneath real men."

Now that a few celebs have denounced Allen, Farrow is starting to get the support she deserves and a decisive change could finally be reached in Hollywood when it comes to the director.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit online.rainn.org.