A question about Woody Allen could be the death knell for any press tour ― thoughts and prayers to Scarlett Johansson’s presumably very tired publicist ― but Spike Lee is trying to course-correct after defending the controversial filmmaker.
In the interview, Lee defended Allen against cancel culture, suggesting he’d been unfairly maligned by the industry.
“I’d just like to say Woody Allen is a great, great filmmaker and this cancel thing is not just Woody,” Lee said.
After being disavowed by many of its high-profile cast members, Allen’s most recent film, “A Rainy Day in New York,” was shelved by Amazon Studios and never released domestically; Amazon also terminated a multifilm deal amid pressure from the Me Too movement.
Earlier this year, Allen’s memoir, “Apropos of Nothing,” was set to be released by Hachette Book Group, but after employees staged a walkout in protest, the company reversed its decision to distribute the book, in which he responds to allegations of child sexual abuse made against him.
