text: In an open letter, Mira Sorvino has publicly apologized to Dylan Farrow, the estranged daughter of director Woody Allen—and expressed regret about working with the controversial filmmaker. Sorvino won an Oscar for her performance in his 1995 film, Mighty Aphrodite, but has since re-examined her decision to work with Allen due to Farrow’s accusations. (Farrow has repeatedly accused Allen of abusing her as a child; Allen denies the allegations.) Sorvino was prompted to speak out after she alleged to reporter Ronan Farrow, who is Dylan’s brother, that Harvey Weinstein (who produced Mighty Aphrodite) harassed her years ago. 
   
   “I confess that at the time I worked for Woody Allen I was a naïve young actress,” Sorvino wrote in an essay for HuffPost. “I swallowed the media’s portrayal of your abuse allegations against your father as an outgrowth of a twisted custody battle between Mia Farrow and him, and did not look further into the situation, for which I am terribly sorry.” 
   
   Sorvino stated clearly that her relationship with Allen on the film was “friendly, though not close, but in no way did he ever overstep his bounds with me.” 
   
   “I never personally experienced what has now been described as inappropriate behavior toward young girls,” she said. “But this does not excuse my turning a blind eye to your story simply because I wanted desperately for it not to be so.” 
   
   The actress writes that she spoke with Ronan in December, telling about the “aftermath” of sharing her Weinstein story. In her accusations against Weinstein, she said that he essentially blacklisted her from landing plum movie roles after her Mighty Aphrodite success, because she reportedly rebuffed him when he sexually harassed her and tried to pressure her into a physical relationship. (Weinstein denied the claims.) Her blacklisting allegations have been supported by directors like Peter Jackson and Terry Zwigoff; representatives for Weinstein released statements denying the claims from both directors. 
   
   She also told Ronan that she wanted to learn more about Dylan’s accusations, and he pointed her toward “publicly available details of the case I had ruefully never known of, which made me begin to feel the evidence strongly supported your story.” 
   
   “I am sorry it has taken me a few weeks to come out in support of you since that conversation, but it has been a process for me to own this truth and make this irrevocable break,” she writes. 
   
   Sorvino is now the third actress to acknowledge Dylan Farrow and publicly distance herself from Woody Allen. Ellen Page, who starred in the 2012 Allen film To Rome with Love, kicked off the trend in November with a lengthy Facebook post. 
   
   “I did a Woody Allen movie and it is the biggest regret of my career,” she wrote. “I am ashamed I did this. I had yet to find my voice and was not who I am now and felt pressured, because ‘of course you have to say yes to this Woody Allen film.’ Ultimately, however, it is my choice what films I decide to do and I made the wrong choice. I made an awful mistake.” 
   
   Greta Gerwig was the next to join this group, telling The New York Times that she will never work with Allen again. 
   
   “Dylan Farrow’s two different pieces made me realize that I increased another woman’s pain, and I was heartbroken by that realization,” Gerwig said. “I grew up on his movies, and they have informed me as an artist, and I cannot change that fact now, but I can make different decisions moving forward.” 
   
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   Mira Sorvino, who starred in Woody Allen’s 1995 comedy Mighty Aphrodite, wrote an open letter in the Huffington Post voicing her support for Dylan Farrow, Allen’s estranged adopted daughter who has accused him of sexual abuse. In the letter Sorvino writes that she regrets letting her admiration for the filmmaker’s work to influence her willingness to overlook Farrows claims for many years. 
   
   Sorvino addressed Farrow directly, writing: 
   
   I never personally experienced what has now been described as inappropriate behavior toward young girls. But this does not excuse my turning a blind eye to your story simply because I wanted desperately for it not to be so. 
   
   It is difficult to sever ties and denounce your heroes, your benefactors, whom you fondly admired and felt a debt of gratitude toward for your entire career’s existence. To decide, although they may be fantastically talented and helped you enormously, that you believe they have done things for which there can be no excuse. But that is where we stand today. 
   
   In 1992, Dylan was 7 years old when she reportedly told her mother, Mia Farrow, that she was inappropriately sexually touched by Allen, Farrow’s partner of 12 years. Though Allen has denied the allegations and was not criminally charged, a judge granted Mia Farrow full custody after finding Dylan’s testimony credible in 1993. Dylan has maintained her allegations in recent essays. 
   
   Sorvino explains in her letter that she had “cherished” Allen’s written work when she was a child and describes herself as being “in awe” of his films. She remembers herself in the mid ‘90s as a “naïve young actress” who accepted “the media’s portrayal of [Dylan’s] abuse allegations against [her] father as an outgrowth of a twisted custody battle between Mia Farrow and him.” 
   
   In the past year, Sorvino spoke to journalist Ronan Farrow, Dylan’s brother, on the record about her experience being sexually harassed by Harvey Weinstein. Her allegations appeared in Ronan’s bombshell New Yorker exposé. In Sorvino’s letter she says that it was her experience with coming forward that made her to want to finally read more about Dylan’s experience. 
   
   “I send you love and inclusion and admiration for your courage all this time. I believe you!!!” Sorvino wrote to Farrow. She added that she had no intention of defending Allen moving forward: 
   
   Even if you love someone, if you learn they may have committed these despicable acts, they must be exposed and condemned, and this exposure must have consequences. I will never work with him again. 
   
   In the past week, two other actors who worked with Allen, Greta Gerwig (To Rome With Love) and David Krumholtz (Wonder Wheel) have also expressed regret for working with the director. ||||| Dear Dylan, 
   
   Hello. I apologize for this being the first time I address you in print, what will be the first of several apologies today. I am writing to express my belief in and support of you. 
   
   I confess that at the time I worked for Woody Allen I was a naive young actress. I swallowed the media’s portrayal of your abuse allegations against your father as an outgrowth of a twisted custody battle between Mia Farrow and him, and did not look further into the situation, for which I am terribly sorry. For this I also owe an apology to Mia. 
   
   What I have to say next is not a justification, simply a description of my background with Woody at that time and since. As an adolescent, I cherished my copy of his book “Without Feathers.” I played the Diane Keaton role in a high school production of “Play It Again, Sam” and had grown up, like so many in my generation, in awe of his films. As a young actress I landed the dream role of Linda Ash in “Mighty Aphrodite,” and the artistic license he allowed me to create the character was thrilling. We were friendly though not close, but in no way did he ever overstep his bounds with me; I never personally experienced what has now been described as inappropriate behavior toward young girls. But this does not excuse my turning a blind eye to your story simply because I wanted desperately for it not to be so. 
   
   It is difficult to sever ties and denounce your heroes, your benefactors, whom you fondly admired and felt a debt of gratitude toward for your entire career’s existence. To decide, although they may be fantastically talented and helped you enormously, that you believe they have done things for which there can be no excuse. But that is where we stand today. 
   
   In December I called your brother Ronan, sharing about the aftermath of my and other women’s coming forward about Harvey Weinstein. How it had been a sometimes empowering, sometimes bitter and heartbreaking experience, as more and more details came out of hidden damage this man had done me. Of how I felt somehow more vulnerable and triggered (though certainly grateful) when millions of people showed me their support online, as though now my life had been reduced to one victimization... I told him I wanted to learn more about you and your situation. He pointed me toward publicly available details of the case I had ruefully never known of, which made me begin to feel the evidence strongly supported your story. That you have been telling the truth all along. 
   
   I am so sorry, Dylan! I cannot begin to imagine how you have felt, all these years as you watched someone you called out as having hurt you as a child, a vulnerable little girl in his care, be lauded again and again, including by me and countless others in Hollywood who praised him and ignored you. As a mother and a woman, this breaks my heart for you. I am so, so sorry! 
   
   We are in a day and age when everything must be re-examined. This kind of abuse cannot be allowed to continue. If this means tearing down all the old gods, so be it. The cognitive dissonance, the denial and cowardice that spare us painful truths and prevent us from acting in defense of innocent victims while allowing “beloved” individuals to continue their heinous behavior must be jettisoned from the bottom of our souls. Even if you love someone, if you learn they may have committed these despicable acts, they must be exposed and condemned, and this exposure must have consequences. I will never work with him again. 
   
   I am sorry it has taken me a few weeks to come out in support of you since that conversation, but it has been a process for me to own this truth and make this irrevocable break. 
   
   I send you love and inclusion and admiration for your courage all this time. I believe you!!! I am grateful to you and admire your integrity and bravery, one woman who has had to stand virtually alone all these years speaking her painful truth. You are a true hero, and I stand with you. 
   
   In gratitude and solidarity, 
   
   Mira Sorvino
target: – "I believe you!!!" Mira Sorvino writes in an open letter to Dylan Farrow published by the HuffPost. The actor reached out to Woody Allen's daughter Wednesday to apologize for starring in her father's Mighty Aphrodite—for which she won an Oscar—while ignoring Farrow's claims of sexual abuse against Allen. Farrow was 7 when she said Allen sexually touched her, and a judge later found her claims credible, though Allen has continually denied the allegations, Vulture reports. Sorvino says she was aware of Farrow's claims when she made Mighty Aphrodite but dismissed them "as an outgrowth of a twisted custody battle" because of her lifelong love of Allen's work. "It is difficult to sever ties and denounce your heroes, your benefactors, whom you fondly admired and felt a debt of gratitude toward for your entire career’s existence," she writes. Sorvino says her experience opening up to Farrow's brother, reporter Ronan Farrow, about Harvey Weinstein made her want to learn more about Dylan Farrow's allegations, which led to her taking those allegations seriously. Sorvino says her love of Allen's work "does not excuse my turning a blind eye to your story simply because I wanted desperately for it not to be so." She says she won't work with Allen again, writing: "We are in a day and age when everything must be re-examined. This kind of abuse cannot be allowed to continue. If this means tearing down all the old gods, so be it." Sorvino isn't the first actor to denounce Allen. Greta Gerwig and David Krumholtz recently said they regret working with him. And Vanity Fair reports Ellen Page in November called doing an Allen movie "the biggest regret of my career."