Diane Keaton has a somewhat interesting new cover profile in the AARP Magazine, mostly to promote her holiday comedy, Love the Coopers. The bulk of the piece is about her love of LA real estate, how close she was to her mother, how she raises her kids, etc. But the magazine also goes hard and asks Diane about her feelings about Woody Allen. Diane and Woody were friends, lovers and collaborators back in the 1970s and 1980s. She was his muse for years, and they’re still friendly. Last year, in the immediate wake of renewed allegations about Woody’s alleged molestation of his daughter Dylan, Diane defended Woody and said they were still friends. She says much of the same in this piece. Some highlights:
Her constant home renovations: “I’ve always been looking for home. I feel like I’ve chased the concept of home with all the renovations and building I’ve done in my life, and I can’t stop. I can’t seem to stop having the dream of it.”
She never felt pretty enough: “I was upset I wasn’t pretty enough, or that my voice wasn’t that good, or that I wasn’t considered right for roles early on. My mother would always tell me, ‘You just keep doing what you’re doing.’ So you pick yourself up and you keep trying.”
Career goals: “Obviously, I wanted to be famous. I wanted to be a movie star.”
Getting the Kay part in The Godfather: “I don’t know how I got that part. I was, like, kooky and unusual and left of center and not always castable at that time. I would go up against Jill Clayburgh or Blythe Danner, and it just wasn’t happening for me.”
Woody Allen is the closest thing to a mentor for her: “He gave me everything. It was a privilege to be in those films with him. I’ve never seen anybody more disciplined. For him, work is an art form. Work really is the answer to so many problems, and it’s a form of play, too, that you take very seriously and keep trying to expand. That’s something I learned from Woody.”
I have mixed feelings about this. Like, I know people are going to slam her for defending Woody, just as we slammed Jodie Foster for defending Mel Gibson in the wake of his crazy exploits. But is that fair? She’s not saying Dylan was or is a liar, nor is she commenting directly on that situation. Diane is just talking about the Woody Allen she knew and knows, and what their multi-decade friendship has meant to her. Eh. Maybe I just don’t feel like yelling at Diane Keaton.
Here are some pics of Diane and her doggy costar at the premiere of Love the Coopers.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
