‘The Tick’ Star Griffin Newman Denounces Role in Woody Allen Movie, Donates Paycheck to Charity
“The Tick” star Griffin Newman took to Twitter on Saturday to denounce his own work in an upcoming Woody Allen movie, given that the director’s been accused of sexual assault in the past.
“I need to get this off my chest,” Newman wrote in the first of a series of tweets. “I worked on Woody Allen’s next movie. I believe he is guilty.”
The actor, whose previous credits include the TBS comedy “Search Party” and HBO’s “Vinyl,” went on to say he shot a one-scene role in the upcoming untitled movie, starring Elle Fanning, Selena Gomez and “Call Me By Your Name’s” Timothée Chalamet, but donated his entire paycheck to the anti-sexual assault organization RAINN.
“I spent a month debating whether or not to quit,” he wrote. “I deeply regret my final decision.”
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Allen has been accused of sexual assault by his adoptive daughter Dylan Farrow, an allegation for which he was investigated in 1992 but never charged. Allen has denied the allegations as an invention of Farrow’s mother, actress Mia Farrow, but they were brought back to the public’s attention when Farrow detailed her experience in an open letter in the New York Times in 2014.
“I have unequivocally believed that he is guilty since reading Dylan Farrow’s NY Times piece,” Newman wrote, explaining that he took the job despite knowing the allegations against Allen. Calling himself a “coward,” Newman said he took the role because he “felt there things to be gained from the experience on that set.”
“It was an educational experience for all the wrong reasons. I learned conclusively that I cannot put my career over my morals again,” he wrote, explaining that as a struggling actor, he was afraid to shut the door on an opportunity. “I can’t keep professionally operating from a place of fear. It’s time to show a courage in my actions mirroring my words without concession.”
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Newman’s tweets follow a week of news about the powerhouse producer Harvey Weinstein, who has been accused of sexual harassment and assault by dozens of women, including actresses Ashley Judd, Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Mira Sorvino, Cara Delevingne, Rose McGowan, Asia Argento, Kate Beckinsale and Minka Kelly.
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