Scarlett Johansson's defense of Woody Allen haunts speech

Scarlett Johansson's defense of Woody Allen haunts speech

Accusations of hypocrisy have emerged against Scarlett Johansson, who blasted James Franco in a speech despite previously defending Woody Allen and saying that child abuse allegations against the director were 'all guesswork'. 

'I want my pin back, by the way,' Johansson said on Saturday, referencing the Time's Up pin Franco wore at the Golden Globe Awards on January 7, inspiring five accusers to come forward charging him as a hypocrite.

Yet the accusation of hypocrisy was quickly flipped against Johansson, who was considered something of a muse to Allen, starring in his 2005 film Match Point, 2006's Scoop, and Vicky Cristina Barcelona in 2014.

She has lavished praise on the director, saying of him in 2007: 'I'd sew the hems of his pants if he asked me to'.

A month after Allen's estranged daughter Dylan Farrow penned an open letter accusing him of sexual abuse in 2014, Johansson told the Guardian: 'It's not like this is somebody that's been prosecuted and found guilty of something, and you can then go, "I don't support this lifestyle or whatever." I mean, it's all guesswork.'

'I don't know anything about it. It would be ridiculous for me to make any kind of assumption one way or the other,' Johansson said of Farrow's allegations against Allen.

She even lashed out at Farrow for pointing a finger at actresses, including Johansson, who have appeared in Allen's films.

'I think it's irresponsible to take a bunch of actors that will have a Google alert on and to suddenly throw their name into a situation that none of us could possibly knowingly comment on. That just feels irresponsible to me,' Johansson said in the 2014 interview.

Allen has strongly denied the allegations from his adopted daughter Farrow, 32, who publicly claimed he sexually abused when she was seven years old.

Farrow's brother Ronan Farrow has supported her, and his reporting for the New Yorker on allegations against Harvey Weinstein helped launch the current 'Me Too' and 'Time's Up' wave in Hollywood. 

Johansson has never appeared in a film with Franco, who has denied all of the allegations against him. 

Her apparent double standard drew heavy fan backlash following her speech on Saturday.

'Funny how Scarlett Johansson called out James Franco (accused by adult women). Yet Scarlett herself was called out by CHILD molestation victim Dylan Farrow for working with Woody Allen time after time. Then she ATTACKED the VICTIM,' wrote one Twitter user. 

'Scarlett Johansson is a disgrace calling James Franco out like that. Innocent until proven guilty. Wonder how you felt when you starred in all that Woody Allen film all those years ago?' another said. 

'I don't understand how Scarlett Johansson can condemn James Franco yet, in the past, sand up for Woody Allen. What a hypocrite,' wrote another. 

Johansson didn't refer to Franco by name in the speech on Saturday, but one of her representatives later confirmed to the Los Angeles Times that she was talking directly to the Disaster Artist actor, who has been publicly accused of sexual misconduct by five women. Franco has denied all of the allegations against him.

'My mind baffles. How could a person publicly stand by an organization that helps to provide support for victims of sexual assault while privately preying on people who have no power?' Johansson said in the speech.

She went on to describe her 'rage' at recalling her own experiences as a young woman in Hollywood, after landing her first role at age 12. 

'And suddenly I was 19 again, and I started to remember all the men I'd known who'd taken advantage of the fact that I was a young woman who didn't yet have the tools to say no, or to understand the value of my own self worth,' said Johansson, now 33. 

'I'd had many relationships both personal and professional where the power dynamic was so off that I had to create a narrative that I was the cool girl who could hang in and hang out, and that sometimes meant compromising what felt right for me,' she continued. 

She concluded by praising the 'brightness of this movement, the strength and the unity that this movement has provided.' 

'It gives me hope that we are moving towards a place where our sense of equality can truly come from within ourselves,' she said.   

Firstly I'd like to thank the organizers of today's event, Deena Katz and Morgan Geffner, who's holding my microphone right now, that's