Alec Baldwin has announced he is to interview Woody Allen on Instagram Live on 28 June.
The actor made the announcement on his own Instagram account, with a note which sought to pre-empt criticism of the move.
“Let me preface this by stating that I have ZERO INTEREST in anyone’s judgments and sanctimonious posts here,” he wrote in the caption.
“I am OBVIOUSLY someone who has my own set of beliefs and COULD NOT CARE LESS about anyone else’s speculation. If you believe that a trial should be conducted by way of an HBO documentary, that’s your issue.”
Baldwin was referencing Allen v Farrow, Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering’s HBO miniseries, which explored the allegation of sexual abuse made against Allen by his adopted daughter Dylan Farrow in 1992.
The film, which was made with the involvement of Dylan, her brother Ronan and their mother, Mia, refocused attention on the case. Allen has always denied the allegation; two lengthy investigations closed with no charges being brought against him.
Allen continues to make films, although his four-picture Amazon deal was cancelled as a result of the backlash to the Farrows’ renewed calls for Allen to be shunned by the industry. Allen reached a settlement with Amazon in 2019, after suing them for $68m.
Baldwin has worked with Allen on Alice (1990), To Rome With Love (2012) and Blue Jasmine (2013). He has remained one of the director’s most dedicated defenders, along with Diane Keaton, Scarlett Johansson, Larry David, Javier Bardem and Jude Law.
Those who have expressed regret over working him include Kate Winslet, Rebecca Hall, Colin Firth and Timothée Chalamet.
Baldwin is himself the subject of multiple lawsuits over the accidental fatal shooting in October 2021 of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust, a new western on which he is both lead actor and a producer.
