Diane Keaton on Woody Allen's sex abuse scandal: 'I believe my friend'

In February, Woody Allen’s adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow, wrote an open letter claiming that Allen had sexually abused her. In the letter, Farrow addressed a number of Allen’s colleagues by name, including his longtime collaborator Diane Keaton: “You knew me when I was a little girl, Diane Keaton. Have you forgotten me?”

While promoting her new book, Let’s Just Say It Wasn’t Pretty, Keaton has finally given her take on the subject. In a recent interview with The Guardian, she explained her feelings toward Allen rather simply: “I love him.”

She went on to say: “He’s the strongest person I’ve met in my life. He’s made of steel. And talk about a work ethic — he’s one of the people that really did teach me that you have to work hard. But he wanted to. He’s the most disciplined person I’ve known, with the exception of my dad. But his discipline is a constant, whereas when my dad retired, I think he lost sight of what he was doing. This guy? He’s going to be practicing that clarinet and touring with his band and making his one movie a year until they push him — he’s never going to stop. Who in the history of movies has done that? He’s 78, he makes a movie a year and he has total control. How is that possible?”

But what about Farrow directly addressing Keaton? Was she upset to be dragged into the scandal? Actually, no. “Who else are they going to drag in? They have to drag someone in,” she said. “I don’t resent it, not for a second.”

And when it comes to Farrow’s claim that Keaton knew her when she was a little girl, well, the actress doesn’t necessarily agree. “I saw her maybe three times. I didn’t know her,” she said. “It’s not a bad accusation. I was never friends with Mia — I was friendly. Sort of like I’m friendly with you. I like you, I like the way you are. I like the way she is, too. She’s very charming. But I never knew her as a friend. A friend — that’s a commitment. It’s as close as you can get to family, and sometimes it’s even closer. Friendship requires a lot of time. I don’t have a lot of friends; I have acquaintances and people I think are charming, and I like to see them. I like to see Sarah Jessica Parker, I like to see Meryl Streep. I don’t know them — I mean, I made a movie with them, once, and that’s nice — but I know nothing about their lives.”

At the end of the day, Keaton’s thoughts on the entire scandal can be summed up in one thought: “I have nothing to say about that. Except: I believe my friend.”