In a new interview with Variety that actually included a lot of positive references to her discovering of her sexuality and gender identity, Miley Cyrus also said she thinks Woody Allen is an “incredible person” and “incredible dad.”
The Voice mentor and founder of Happy Hippie, an organization that supports at-risk LGBTQ and homeless youth, talked about a variety of topics in the interview, such as her squeaky-clean Disney childhood and her 2013 VMAs appearance, but the interview quickly took a weird turn when she started talking about her appearance in Woody Allen’s new TV series.
Cyrus said she’s a fan of Allen’s and that one time when she moved into a new house, the only thing she put in the house was a picture of Allen. Then, the first night she was sleeping in her new, only-one-photo-of-Woody-Allen-decorated home, she heard from her manager that Allen wanted her on his new series. To his credit, Variety interviewer, Ramin Setoodeh, followed up with a question about the sexual abuse allegations Allen’s daughter made against her father…and that’s when things got weird.
It’s a surreal thing to read someone talking about their hatred for Donald Trump, how their first relationship in life was “with a chick,” how they feel pansexual and gender-neutral, and to then veer off into a weird world wherein they also think Woody Allen is a great dad because he seemed to be when they saw him on set:
Many people are now having a conversation about whether it’s possible to separate the art from the artist. Were you aware of the sexual-abuse allegations made by Dylan Farrow against her dad, and if so, did that give you pause? I live a similar life to Woody — I live a public life. Until I know someone and I know their story, I never really judge anyone. That’s kind of how I went into it. From the way I saw him with his family, I never saw him be anything but an incredible person and a really great dad. People might slam me for saying that. I’m sure it was a hard time for that family. My family has been through hard things, and I think everyone’s suffering is different.
While it’s obvious that yes, Allen was not convicted, and it is impossible to know someone’s “story” (unless Cyrus sat down and awkwardly asked him if he sexually abused his own child), hearing the tired defense of, “Well, he seems super nice to me!” is disheartening.
I would’ve almost preferred Cyrus rolled with the whole “separating the art from the artist” argument, but for anyone who’s ever had people not believe their abuse allegations because their abuser seemed super chill and fun to everyone else, the argument she chose was depressing to hear.
I guess we can aim to take comfort in the wonderful work Cyrus is doing with LGBTQ youth and remember that, like with all of us who are working on becoming better and more knowledgable of the way we see the world, it’s progress, not perfection.
Original by Lane Moore @hellolanemoore
