Gina Gershon: ‘Working with Woody Allen is a dream come true’

Actress Gina Gershon didn’t hesitate to sign up for Woody Allen’s new movie, insisting it’s “a dream come true” to work with the embattled director.
Allen has faced a boycott in Hollywood since the rise of the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements against sexual misconduct, with many of his former leading men and women vowing never to collaborate with the filmmaker again following renewed child abuse allegations made against him by his adopted daughter Dylan.
The director has repeatedly denied the accusations and has never been charged over the abuse claims, and Gershon explains she was ultimately won over by the storyline of the upcoming romantic comedy, which has the working title Rifkin’s Festival.
“It’s a beautiful script; a dream come true,” the Showgirls star said at a press conference in Spain on Tuesday (08Jul19).
“These are crazy times; one has to analyse the situation and decide how you feel; I’m delighted to be part of this team.”
Gershon and Christoph Waltz will play a married American couple which travels to Europe to attend the San Sebastian Film Festival, where the husband and wife each fall for other people.
Co-star Elena Anaya also defended working with Allen as they promoted the movie, telling reporters, “It’s a daydream, because Woody is a genius, he’s endearing and a legend. It has been a huge pleasure to be directed by him.”
Meanwhile, character actor Wallace Shawn, who made his movie debut in Allen’s 1979 film Manhattan, insists his loyalties will always lie with the director.
“He discovered me and there’s a special magic about filming with him once again,” Shawn added. “It’s something very beautiful; because it’s his dream and we walk through that dream.”
Production on Rifkin’s Festival is due to begin in San Sebastian on Wednesday and run until 20 August (19).