The one movie Greta Gerwig will always regret: “I was heartbroken”
Beginning as a star of the American indie scene, Greta Gerwig has risen to become one of the most prominent directors in the industry, with her most recent movie, Barbie, grossing over $1 billion. Her career has seen her work her way up from small low-budget acting roles to more significant parts in movies by established directors, although it seems like now she is mainly focusing on filmmaking.
In the early to mid-2010s, Gerwig began starring in movies that garnered more attention than her previous efforts, like Frances Ha and 20th Century Women, further establishing her as a versatile actor. Yet, she has one regret that she wishes she could take back. In 2012, when offers to star in slightly bigger productions came through, she was delighted to be cast in Woody Allen’s To Rome With Love.
Gerwig had watched many of his films growing up, clearly taking inspiration from movies like Annie Hall when writing and starring in movies like Frances Ha. Allen has made many acclaimed movies over the years, but in the 1990s, sexual abuse allegations came to light from his adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow, who claimed that Allen molested her when she was seven years old.
Despite denying the allegations, he went on to form a relationship with Soon-Yi Previn, the adopted daughter of his ex-partner, Mia Farrow. Their relationship came to light in 1992 when Previn was 21 and Allen was 56, although he had first met his future wife when she was just ten.
Despite the abuse and grooming allegations that have surrounded Allen, many big movie stars have continued to work with him, including Gerwig. However, as the MeToo movement gained traction, Gerwig decided to speak out about her decision to work with Allen in 2012 – something she wishes she hadn’t done.
Talking to Aaron Sorkin for a New York Times discussion, Gerwig said, “I would like to speak specifically to the Woody Allen question, which I have been asked about a couple of times recently … It is something that I take very seriously and have been thinking deeply about, and it has taken me time to gather my thoughts and say what I mean to say. I can only speak for myself and what I’ve come to is this: 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.”
It seems as though Gerwig was blinded by her love for Allen’s movies when she agreed to star in To Rome With Love. She added, “Dylan Farrow’s two different pieces made me realise that I had increased another woman’s pain, and I was heartbroken by that realisation. I grew up on his movies, and they have informed me as an artist, and I cannot change that fact now, but I can make different decisions moving forward.”
Many actors have been called out for working with Allen over the years, resulting in many expressing regret. More recently, frequent Gerwig collaborator Timothee Chalamet donated his whole salary from Allen’s A Rainy Day in New York to charity, writing on Instagram, “I don’t want to profit from my work on the film, and to that end, I am going to donate my entire salary to three charities: Time’s Up, the LGBT Centre in New York, and Rainn.”
